A telescopic handler is similar to a forklift. It possesses one telescopic boom which extends upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated in the back. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be equipped with a variety of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also known as a telehandler, this particular kind of machinery is normally used in industry and agriculture.
When it is hard for a standard forklift to access places, a telehandler is usually used to move loads. Telehandlers are frequently utilized to unload pallets from inside a trailer. They are also more handy compared to a crane for carrying loads onto rooftops and other high areas.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize when it extends. Hence, 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 utilized in forestry. Initial models had a driver's cab on the back section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but these days the design that is most popular has a strong chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.