Telescopic handlers are a bit similar to forklifts. It has one telescopic boom that extends both forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight within the back. It works much 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 type of machinery is usually utilized in industry and agriculture.
When it is hard for a standard forklift to access places, a telehandler is frequently used to transport loads. Telehandlers are frequently utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more handy compared to a crane for carrying loads onto other high places and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Despite counterweights at the back, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize while it extends. Hence, the lifting capacity lessens as the distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load increases.
The Matbro company developed telehandlers in England. Their design was based mainly on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Initial models consisted of a driver's cab on the rear section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but these days the most popular design has a rigid chassis together with a side cab and rear mounted boom.