Telescopic handlers are a bit like forklifts. It has a single telescopic boom that extends both forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight within the back. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with a variety of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also called a telehandler, this particular kind of equipment is normally used in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is most frequently employed to transport loads to and from areas which would be hard for a standard forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly utilized to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high locations.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize when it extends. Thus, the lifting capacity decreases as the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
The Matbro company developed telehandlers in England. Their design was based mainly on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Initial versions had a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the back section, but today the design that is most popular has a rigid chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.