A telehandler or a telescopic handler is a machine which is popular within the construction and agriculture industries. These machinery are similar in function and appearance to a lift truck or a forklift but are actually more similar to a crane instead of a forklift. The telehandler provides increased versatility of a single telescopic boom that can extend forwards as well as upwards from the vehicle. The operator could attach many attachments on the boom's end. Several of the most common attachments include: a muck grab, a bucket, a lift table or pallet forks.
A telehandler usually utilizes pallet forks as their most popular attachment in order to move loads through locations which are normally not reachable for a conventional forklift. Like for example, telehandlers are able to transport cargo to and from locations that are not normally accessible by conventional forklift units. These devices can also remove palletized cargo from within a trailer and position these loads in high places, like on rooftops for instance. Previously, this aforementioned situation would require a crane. Cranes could be expensive to utilize and not always a practical or time-efficient option.
Telehandler's are unique in that their advantage is also their largest limitation: because the boom raises or extends when the equipment is bearing a load, it also acts as a lever and causes the vehicle to become somewhat unstable, even with the rear counterweights. This translates to the lifting capacity decreasing quickly as the working radius increases. The working radius is the distance between the front of the wheels and the center of the load.
Like for instance, a vehicle that has a 5000 lb. capacity with the boom retracted may be able to safely raise just as heavy as 400 pounds when it is completely extended with a low boom angle. The same unit with a 5000 pound lift capacity which has the boom retracted might be able to easily support as much as 10,000 pounds with the boom raised up to 70.
The Matbro Company in Horley, Surrey, England first pioneered telehandlers. These machinery were developed from their articulated cross country forestry forklifts. Initially, they had a centrally mounted boom design on the front section. This placed the driver's cab on the rear portion of the equipment, like in the Teleram 40 unit. The rigid chassis design with a rear mounted boom and the cab situated on the side has since become more famous.