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Zeal Motor Inc., the manufacturer of the renowned FAT TRUCK®, is highlighting a new innovation developed by one of its dealers, Sudbury-based RufDiamond, in partnership with Cambrian College. The two organizations have developed a deployable lifting platform for the FAT TRUCK® that is now supporting wildfire response efforts in Northwestern Ontario.
The platform allows a FAT TRUCK® to carry a payload of up to 2,200 pounds into locations with no road access, lift the platform off the vehicle, drive out from underneath, and lower the load to the ground — solving a persistent challenge in remote deployment: unloading cargo without cranes or other lifting equipment on site.
The technology has moved quickly from concept to active field use. As of a July 2026 press conference at Cambrian College, the unit was confirmed for deployment to the wildfire crisis in Northwestern Ontario.
“Without Cambrian, this would be factored under a plausible option — potential, maybe one day,” said Daryl Adams, president of RufDiamond, of the platform’s development.
The project recently received $150,000 in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), supporting further use of advanced materials and structural optimization to make the lifting system lighter and more energy-efficient. The same funding will also support a custom drag-behind toboggan for transporting supplies across Arctic terrain. Including RufDiamond’s own cash and in-kind contributions, the total value of the two-year project is $227,500.
FAT TRUCK® vehicles are used across mining, defence, pipeline, hydro, and emergency response applications in terrain inaccessible to conventional vehicles.
For more information, visit: https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/cambrian-modified-fat-truck-to-help-fight-northern-ontario-wildfires-12578131
