Telehandler rental – from fixed and roto to heavy-duty machines

Telehandlers — in some industries also called telescopic loaders or telescopic handlers — are among the most versatile machines on modern construction sites: they lift pallets to great heights, feed material into narrow installation openings and move loads far out beyond the chassis. A distinction is made between fixed machines and rotating roto telehandlers, whose superstructure rotates through 360 degrees. Which telehandler is the right choice for your project depends on three factors: lift height, load capacity and the required slewing radius.

The first step in choosing a machine is to distinguish between the three main designs. Each configuration is optimised for specific tasks — the wrong choice costs time and money.

Fixed telehandlers — compact and proven on site

Fixed telehandlers are the most widely used machines in building and civil engineering. The boom extends straight ahead; loads are moved in line with the vehicle axis. Typical load capacities: 2.5 t to 10 t. Lift heights: 6 m to 18 m.

Typical applications:

• Lifting pallets and building materials onto mezzanines (shell construction, building construction)
• Supplying and clearing roof and facade areas
• Material transport on confined industrial and commercial sites
• Indoor use with limited ceiling height

Luibl Rental offers fixed telehandlers from Manitou (MT series, ULM series), Merlo (P series) and Genie (GTH series) — from 2.5 t load capacity and from 6 m lift height upwards.

Roto telehandlers — 360-degree rotation for confined conditions

The roto telehandler rotates its superstructure through a full 360 degrees. This enables working positions that fixed models cannot reach: placing material behind obstacles, serving several directions from one position, reducing the set-up area to a minimum.

Typical applications:

• Steel construction: lifting beams and trusses into place
• Roofing and facade installation with outreach
• Installation work in halls with several transfer points
• Special jobs requiring 360-degree rotation in tight spaces

Luibl Rental offers roto telehandlers from Manitou (MRT series), Merlo (Roto series) and Magni (RTH series) with lift heights from 16 m to 35 m and load capacities from 4 t to 7 t.

Heavy-duty telehandlers — up to 33 t for industry and manufacturing

Heavy-duty telehandlers are designed for load capacities beyond conventional models. With capacities from 10 t to 33 t, they are used in plant construction, manufacturing and the energy sector — wherever a crane cannot be used or is not economical.

Luibl Rental offers heavy-duty telehandlers from Manitou (MHT series) and Merlo (heavy-duty P series) with a maximum load capacity of 33 t (Manitou MHT 12330).

The designs differ less in appearance than in their operating profile. These four questions reliably narrow down the choice:

1. Do you lift straight ahead in the direction of travel? Then the fixed telehandler is the simpler and more economical machine – the most widely used design in building and civil engineering.

2. Do you need to work in several directions from a fixed position? The roto telehandler rotates its superstructure through a full 360 degrees. This pays off when material is placed behind obstacles or set-up space is tight.

3. How heavy is the load? Above the usual construction classes, the heavy-duty telehandler takes over – industrial and plant construction, ports and handling, wherever a mobile crane would be technically possible but uneconomical.

4. Do you work in enclosed halls? Then the electric telehandler is the choice: no local emissions and quiet, with no exhaust routing inside the building.

Regardless of the design, the attachment determines the actual benefit – pallet forks, bucket, work basket, load hook or winch change the load chart and outreach. So tell us the purpose of the job, not just the preferred model.

The following overview summarises the four designs in our rental fleet. The decisive factors for selection are always lift height, load capacity at the required outreach and the available space for setting up.

The three key questions:

1. How high does the load need to go? Up to 18 m, a fixed telehandler is sufficient. Above that there is no way around a roto.
2. How heavy is the load — and at what outreach? The rated capacity applies only with the boom retracted. At full reach, depending on the model, only a fraction of it remains; the load chart of the specific machine is always decisive.
3. How much space is available for setting up? If the machine has to be repositioned for each transfer point, the 360-degree superstructure of the roto saves more time than the surcharge costs.

If you cannot decide between two classes, tell us the lift height, weight, outreach and ground conditions — we will suggest the right machine.

Construction: building and turnkey construction, civil engineering, road construction — the telehandler handles supply, installation and horizontal transport in one.

Industry and manufacturing: plant construction, machine installation, moving heavy tools — heavy-duty models with up to 33 t where there is no room for a crane.

Event technology: stage builds, tent structures, temporary hall structures — roto telehandlers for confined event areas with several placement points.

Agriculture: silage work, harvest campaigns, barn construction — fixed telehandlers as seasonal reinforcement without tying up capital.

Energy sector: maintenance and installation work on wind turbines, photovoltaic plants and substations.

A telehandler only becomes a universal machine with the right attachment. All attachments are delivered together with the machine on request and are already matched to the respective machine type — the mounting and load charts must match the machine, otherwise the use is not permitted.

Pallet forks — the standard for material handling: pallets, big bags with spreader bar, formwork elements, insulation packs. Usually already fitted to the machine unless otherwise agreed.

Work basket (personnel basket) — turns the telehandler into an aerial work platform for installation, maintenance and inspection work. When using a personnel basket, work is carried out in line with applicable Czech safety rules and CSN EN standards; the machine must be approved for carrying persons and equipped accordingly.

Load hook and jib — for lifting on a rope instead of on the forks: steel components, precast elements, ventilation and pipe elements. The jib extends the reach over obstacles and in many cases replaces a crane.

Winch — for controlled lifting and lowering over greater distances, typical for roof and facade installation and in steel construction.

Bucket — light-material and heavy-material buckets for bulk material, excavated soil and handling in recycling and agriculture.

The overview of telehandler attachments shows which attachments are available for which machine. Attachments are calculated separately from the machine rate — so they should always be included in the description of the job when you send an enquiry.

Luibl Rental transports all rented telehandlers with its own low-loader fleet — without third-party forwarders, with a direct contact person from order to collection. Our own fleet enables plannable delivery windows and flexible dispatching, even for short-notice enquiries. Area of operation: the Czech Republic, Germany and Europe.

The following requirements apply to operating a telehandler:

Driving licence: For use on public roads, the required Czech driving licence category is needed. Operator qualification: The employer is responsible for the required operator qualification in line with applicable Czech safety rules. Personnel basket use: When using a work basket, work is carried out in line with applicable Czech safety rules and CSN EN standards. Operating manual: Every rented machine is supplied with an up-to-date operating manual and handover report.

There is no universal price list for telehandler rental – design, class and rental period vary too much. However, the calculation always follows the same parameters:

• Design: Fixed telehandlers are the entry class. Roto machines with a 360-degree superstructure are above them, and heavy-duty telehandlers with load capacities beyond 30 tonnes are at the top.
• Lift height and load capacity: Within each design, the rate rises with lift height and load capacity. A 6 m machine and a 30 m machine are several classes apart.
• Rental period: Daily, weekly and monthly rates are graduated. The longer the period, the lower the effective daily rate; from several months, long-term terms apply.
• Attachments: Work basket, load hook, bucket, pallet forks or winch are calculated separately and are one of the most common reasons why two quotes do not look comparable at first glance.
• Transport: Delivery and collection by our own low-loader fleet are shown separately and depend on the distance from Passau, transport weight and site access.

The rate includes a technically maintained machine with valid inspection, maintenance and periodic inspections during the rental period and technical advice on machine selection. If you tell us the lift height, load capacity, required attachments, rental period and location, you will receive an itemised quote instead of a price range.

Minimum rental period: Billing is based on daily, weekly or monthly rates; from several months, long-term terms apply.

Included in the rental rate: a technically maintained machine with valid inspection, maintenance and periodic inspections throughout the rental period and technical advice on machine selection.

Delivery and collection: transport by our own low-loader fleet from Passau, throughout the Czech Republic and across Europe. Costs depend on distance, transport weight and site access and are shown separately in the quote.

Return: The machine is taken back in the condition in which it was handed over. Handover and return are documented.

Operators: On handover we brief your operators on site.

Our team will answer questions about a specific situation directly — contact us.

• Which telehandler suits my job? – fixed, roto or heavy-duty
• Renting a telehandler: the costs – price factors in detail
• Operator qualification for telehandlers – which authorisation is required
• Telehandler or wheel loader? – the machine comparison
• Telehandlers in halls – ceiling height, exhaust, floor loading

Delivery is handled by our own low-loader fleet from Passau – throughout the Czech Republic and across Europe. These cities have their own pages:

Prague · Brno · Ostrava · Plzen · Liberec · Olomouc · Ceske Budejovice · Hradec Kralove · Usti nad Labem · Pardubice · Zlin · Kladno · Karlovy Vary · Mlada Boleslav

You will find our entire range of equipment across all categories in our rental fleet.

Describe your job to us with details of the required lift height, load capacity, desired rental period and delivery location – we will prepare a binding quote at short notice, including transport costs with our own low-loader fleet. ➡ Send a rental enquiry | ➡ Explore the entire rental fleet

Luibl Rental – your partner for telehandler rental in the Czech Republic and Europe. Delivered with our own low-loader fleet from Passau. Manitou, Merlo, Magni, Genie.