Zeal Motor expands its range with the 8×8 Fat Truck
Four years after launching the fat-truck original, the Bromont company Zeal Motor launches a new vehicle to meet the needs of its customers. They wanted to have more loading capacity and to be able to overcome more difficult obstacles, which made it necessary to rework the original concept. After two years of development, the company has just launched its Fat Truck 8×8 a new articulated vehicle that pushes the concept even further.
The idea of making an eight-wheel-drive vehicle is more complex than just adding a trailer to the original vehicle. Even if the base remains the same, the vehicle is quite reworked. First, the original model’s 67-hp 2.2-liter four-cylinder Caterpillar diesel engine is replaced by a significantly larger engine, a 167-hp 3.8-liter 4-cylinder. This motor continues to be placed near the cabin in the front car and it drives hydraulic pumps which feed hydraulic motors.
However, unlike the four-wheeled 2.8C model which uses two hydraulic motors that each drive two wheels, the 8×8 has eight hydraulic motors. This means that each of the wheels is driven independently of one another by its own motor.
As another major difference, note that the steering of the vehicle is not done by a difference in speed of rotation between the wheels on the left and the wheels on the right like the original concept, but rather thanks to an articulation which is between the two trains. . This joint, through which pass hydraulic, electrical and compressed air hoses, allows an angle of 34 degrees on each side. In addition, it allows movement up and down. This movement can be free, mimicking the effect of a trailer following a towing vehicle, or controlled by the driver to increase crossing capabilities. The front of the vehicle can, for example, be lifted to overcome vertical obstacles over 4 feet.
Everything is controlled by a simple joystick, programmed directly by Zeal Motor employees. According to the company, it is driving with this joystick that makes the vehicle so easy to drive even for an inexperienced person. As with the original vehicle, tire pressure can be adjusted from inside the vehicle.
When deciding on vehicle performance, nothing beats performance data. A land speed of 40 kilometers per hour, a cargo capacity of 2272 kilograms (5000 pounds), a water speed in amphibious mode at full load of 5 kilometers per hour, a ground clearance of 635 millimeters (25 inches), a turning radius of 7.3 meters (24 feet) and a climb angle of 35 degrees. It will be available in two configurations, either with a cabin on both cars to transport a maximum of 16 people, or with a versatile rear car on which the customer can install whatever they see fit.
A partnership with Rheinmetall
Along with the development of the 8×8 Fat Truck, Zeal Motor worked with Rheinmetall, a company established for 35 years in the region of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and which provides various equipment necessary for Defense. The two companies have jointly developed two autonomous vehicles, the MissionMaster XT and its compact counterpart, the MissionMaster CXT.
These are equipped with various sensors and technologies that allow them to be operated remotely, to follow a predetermined route autonomously or to follow a human who is moving at a distance of 5 meters. An electric version of the CXT is also produced with batteries that provide 3 hours of autonomy, which can be enhanced by the on-board 3-cylinder diesel engine that acts as a range extender. These vehicles, reserved for the moment for Defense, will also be tested in Finland over the next few months during extreme mobility tests carried out by NATO.
The 8×8 Fat Truck will be available from next summer, at the same time as the new Zeal Motor plant, which is currently being established in the South-West industrial park of the town of Cowansville, will be operational. This new building will allow the company to increase its production capacity and thereby create 10 jobs that will join the 30 current employees. The 8×8 Fat Truck and the new factory represent a total investment of $7.5 million.
