Industrial off-road utility vehicles

Inclusion of a specialized drive system and Caterpillar engine enables the vehicle to easily maneuver over difficult terrain while carrying up to eight passengers or payload of 2,200 lbs.

Transporting personnel on job sites can be challenging, particularly in harsh environments. While pickup trucks and even buses are commonly used, these vehicles are often not able to traverse difficult terrain. To overcome this, Zeal Motor Inc. has developed the Fat Truck Industrial Off-Road Utility Vehicles. “Everybody has pickups and the Fat Truck is really an extension; where the pickup stops the Fat Truck continues,” explains Amine Khimjee, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and co-founder of Zeal Motor.

The all-terrain, amphibious vehicles can carry up to eight people or a payload of material weighing up to 2,200 lbs. (997.9 kg). They are ISO 3471 ROPS (rollover protection structure) certified to ensure safety on any job site. He says target applications for the Fat Truck are pipelines, power utilities, wind farms and military; secondary markets include mining and search and rescue applications.

In 2019, the company introduced its first model the Fat Truck 2.8 C which is powered by a Cat 2.2 L Tier 4 Final engine. With a power rating of 67 hp (50 kW), the engine features a compact design and low fuel consumption, which Khimjee says were among the reasons it chose the Caterpillar engine. The compact design of the engine was particularly important due to the overall design of the vehicle which required its power source be mounted in the center of the machine. While this helps to keep the machine stable, it also meant space allotted for the engine was limited.

The company also wanted to use a known and respected engine brand that had good global support, says Khimjee, which is another reason Zeal Motor chose to use a Caterpillar engine for the Fat Truck.