The Versatile Telehandler: 6 Different Uses You May Not Have Considered

You might have seen these remarkable machines at the side of the road, helping construction workers move heavy loads or helping groundskeepers trim the branches off tall trees. Telescopic handlers, more often called “telehandlers” here in Australia, are a type multipurpose heavy machinery, defined by a prominent telescoping boom.

Telehandlers are most often seen with a basket or bucket attached to the end of the boom. However, there are an extremely wide variety of different attachments that could be mounted on telehandler booms, making them one of the most versatile and most essential kinds of heavy machinery out there.

Below, we’ve outlined some of the most common uses of telehandlers here in Western Australia. If you think you need a telehandler after reading this list, check out these telehandler for hire Perth residents trust.

1.) Lift heavy objects to heights beyond the reach of forklifts

While highly effective in the right contexts, forklifts are more commonly used indoors or in prepared outdoor work sites due to their lack of reach and flexibility. Telehandlers typically have a longer reach compared to forklifts, and the layout allows for more manoeuvrability in tight or irregular spaces. There are also widely-available forklift attachments that can allow a telehandler to use standard forklift pallets.

This ability to change attachments and lift heavy loads in small spaces makes them particularly valuable in various repair, maintenance, construction, and loading scenarios where a forklift may not necessarily be the best choice.

2.) Help tree surgeons prune trees

Telehandlers are now an essential tool for safely trimming branches off tall trees. Without telehandlers, the essential work of trimming branches that are too close to power cables and other obstructions would be far less safe than it is today.

3.) Carrying irregular loads

Another advantage telehandlers have over forklifts is that, unlike forklifts, they don’t need a pallet to safely lift a load. With the right attachment, you can lift virtually any irregular object to the necessary height without the need for a pallet.

This is especially useful in farms, mines, and in construction sites where you might need to lift and transfer all kinds of different objects and materials onto truck beds and conveyor belts.

4.) Site preparation and clean up

Because telehandlers are extremely maneuverable and versatile, they’re especially useful for preparing worksites. With the right attachments, they can move all kinds of debris and materials in any location.

5.) Doing irregular jobs in and around worksites

Their flexibility also makes them perfect for augmenting more specialised equipment such as loaders, excavators, backhoes, and bulldozers as the need arises. This allows crews to be more efficient and removes the need for purchasing or renting several different types of heavy machinery.

6.) For ploughing snow

It may not snow that often in Western Australia, but it does happen. Specialised snowploughs are not exactly practical in the local context, as they would be sitting around doing nothing most of the time. However, a telehandler can easily be equipped with a plough when the need arises, and they could be used for any of a number of different purposes for the rest of the year.

Telehandlers are far more useful than most people realize. They’re used in a wide variety of applications, and their practical uses are limited only by the imagination – and the attachments you have available.