Abstract: A self-propelled, low profile material-handling vehicle mounted on a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The vehicle supports an extendible boom rotatable around a horizontal pivot axis that is substantially located above the rear wheels. A cab for a driver is located on one side of the boom, and a load-carrying platform is located on the side of the boom opposite the cab. A well located in the vehicle body between the cab and the load-carrying platform is positioned lower than the pivot axis of the boom and is arranged to receive the boom when it is pivoted downward toward the front wheels so that a load can be maneuvered below grade level. The pivot axis is vertically located above the top of the wheels and below the top of a steering wheel located within the cab so that the driver's vision is substantially unobstructed when a load is carried by the boom close to the grade level.