Telescopic handlers are a bit similar to forklifts. It possesses a single telescopic boom which extends upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight located within the back. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with a variety of attachments. The most popular attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also called a telehandler, this type of equipment is usually utilized in agriculture and industry.
When it is hard for a standard forklift to access places, a telehandler is commonly used to move loads. Telehandlers are commonly utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more practical than a crane for carrying loads onto other high places and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom could cause the vehicle to destabilize when it extends. Thus, the lifting capacity decreases when the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
Telehandlers were developed in England by the Matbro company. Their design was based on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Early models had a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the rear section, but today the most common design has a strong chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.