Telescopic handlers are a bit similar to forklifts. It has a single telescopic boom that extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight in the rear. It works much more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with different kinds of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also called a telehandler, this kind of equipment is usually used in agriculture and industry.
A telehandler is often employed to move loads to and from places which would be difficult for a standard forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly used to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for carrying loads onto rooftops and other high locations.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize while it extends. Therefore, the lifting capacity lessens as the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
Telehandlers were developed within England by the Matbro company. Their design was based on articulated cross country forklifts utilized in forestry. First models had a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the rear section, but these days the most common design has a strong chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.