Western Star Expands X-Series Vocational Truck Offerings With Introduction Of All-New 47X

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Western Star has introduced its all-new 47X, a lighter, shorter-wheelbase vocational truck designed to complement the 49X and give customers an even greater range of usage options. (Photo courtesy of Western Star.)

Roughly a year after Western Star introduced the all-new 49X vocational truck—which parent company Daimler Trucks says is “possibly the best vocational truck ever built”—the manufacturer has unveiled the 47X. Western Star says the 49X is still an “unmatched workhorse,” well-suited for heavy haul and logging jobs, but adds that the 47X complements the longer, heavier 49X and will push the X-Series platform into completely new vocational applications.

“The vocational segment is a broad segment, covering many different applications, and our Western Star X-Series reflects that reality,” says David Carson, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Whether their work be heavy haul, logging and timber operations, or construction, we have the right Star for our customers.”

Light, Yet Strong

Reducing truck mass without conceding strength was a key point of emphasis for the 47X engineering team. Tracy Mack-Askew, DTNA chief engineer of chassis, propulsion, and vocational engineering, says Daimler looked at all truck features to cut weight in order to deliver greater productivity and profitability to its customers. The 47X weighs about 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) less than the 49X in a like-for-like comparison, leaving it well-suited for mixer, bulk haul, and other weight-sensitive applications.

Like the 49X, the 47X features lighter but stronger single-channel frame rail options compared to legacy models, as well as a best-in-class Resisting Bending Moment (RBM) strength rating of up to 3.8 million pounds-inch. Western Star says a new 0.4-inch (9.5-millimeter) single-channel rail option available provides strength comparable to today’s 0.43-in. (11-mm) rail.

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In developing the all-new 47X, Western Star says it partnered with leading truck equipment makers to ensure the X-Series platform supports quick, efficient uplifts. (Photo courtesy of Western Star.)

Just The Right Size

The 47X has a standard 111.6-in. (2,835-millimeter) bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) length that’s ideal for regions or applications where a shorter vehicle length is preferable, such as drywall trucks. An optional 110.8-in (2,814-mm) BBC targets applications like mixers and super dumps that must adhere to federal or local bridge law requirements. The 47X is also well-suited for construction sites or operations in busy urban areas thanks to its shorter hood and a wheel cut up to 50 degrees.

Western Star says the hood provides industry-leading forward visibility of 24.8 feet (7.6 meters), an 11-in. (28-centimeter) improvement over that of the 49X. It also features composite construction and a patented ISO Tech Hood Suspension system that’s resistant to bending and cracking. Behind the hood, the 47X’s steel-reinforced aluminum cab reduces mass by up to 8% while still providing 13% additional space vs. competitor’s cabs. Under the hood, a Detroit DD13 Gen 5 engine is standard equipment, but options for Cummins L9 and X12 engines are available. The former offers higher compression ratios and a new swirl piston design that improves combustion and efficiency. The truck’s all-new DT12-V transmission provides Rock-free, Off-road, and Paver work-ready modes to meet specific vocational jobs.

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Source: Western Star