A telehandler, also known as a telescopic handler, is a hydraulic lifting machine used to carry and place heavy materials. It is similar to a forklift but has a boom, or telescopic cylinder, making it more like a crane than a forklift, with the increased versatility of a single telescopic boom that can extend forwards and upwards from the vehicle. The boom can be fitted with different attachments, such as a bucket, pallet forks, muck grab, or winch. Telehandlers are used in agriculture and industry, and they are a cost-effective tool in construction and agriculture.

Some common uses of telehandlers include:

• Material handling: Telehandlers are used to carry heavy loads from one place to another. They are compact and maneuverable, making it possible to access tight areas that large forklifts cannot reach. Telehandlers are used on farms, warehouses, distribution centers, and a variety of other job sites.

• Elevated positioning: Telehandlers can be used to lift materials above and around obstacles in cramped spaces. They remain level on uneven ground and when off-road. They are used to place loads on rooftops and other high places, and they can reach directly into a high-sided trailer or hopper.

• Crane work: Telehandlers can work with a crane jib along with lifting loads.

• Agriculture: In agriculture, the most common attachment for a telehandler is a bucket or bucket grab. Telehandlers are used to move loads to and from places unreachable for a conventional machine which in this case is a wheeled loader or backhoe loader. They are used to move hay and hay bales.

• Industry: In industry, the most common attachment for a telehandler is pallet forks, and the most common application is to move loads to and from places unreachable for a conventional forklift. Telehandlers are used to remove palletized cargo from within a trailer and to place loads on rooftops and other high places. They are also used to move heavy loads off of trucks, clean up sites, move materials, and plow snow.

Telehandlers are a combination of forklifts and cranes, and they transport goods across a work site with greater precision and flexibility than other devices.