Telescopic handlers are a bit similar to forklifts. It possesses a single telescopic boom which extends both forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated within the rear. It functions a lot more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be equipped with a variety of attachments. The most popular attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also referred to as a telehandler, this kind of machinery is usually utilized in industry and agriculture.
When it is hard for a conventional forklift to access areas, a telehandler is frequently used to transport loads. Telehandlers are normally used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more practical compared to a crane for lifting 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 utilized in forestry. Early models had a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the back section, but nowadays the design which is most common has a strong chassis along with a rear mounted boom and side cab.