Buying used: Western Star 4900 FXC

The auctioneer called “Sold” for the third and final time, and pen 34, a small lot of six big black steers, was sold to a meatworks in Warwick, Queensland. Tony Richardson pulled a hand-tooled leather covered notepad from his back pocket and made some notes.

It’s like this for Tony most Wednesday afternoons at the Singleton sale yards, as graziers and meatworks make arrangements to have their cattle transported from the yards.

Under the shade of a small solitary tree by the loading ramps, Tony opened his notepad again and began counting the cattle from the day’s sale. Then the task of organising cattle into truckloads for delivery commenced.

Tony runs the transport operation for the family business that includes a beef farm and a dairy farm managed by his father Max and brother Rodney. Tony has a keen eye for good cattle and is regularly called upon to buy and sell cattle on behalf of his growing client base.

“It’s a full-time job,” Tony said, glancing towards his Millennium Western Star. “I buy and sell cattle as well, but at the moment, the transport side of the operation is very demanding because it is just so busy.

“This load is going to an abattoir in Warwick, and we have loads going to Dubbo this evening with store cattle. We cart a few loads to Longreach, but most of the work is into the local abattoirs at Singleton. When cattle get scarce, however, we have to go further and further a-field to find them to meet our customers’ demands.”

Tony has been in the livestock hauling business for 18 years, although he claims that the family never really intended to get as involved in it as they have.

“The biggest reason behind our growth can probably be attributed to the fact that we know a lot of people in the cattle industry. Subsequently, if you do a good job, they’ll get you back to do it again. But we never planned the intensity of growth in our transport operation.”

When asked why he opted for Western Stars to face the gruelling conditions demanded by livestock haulage, Tony candidly replied that they’re tough enough, up to the task and the backup service from North Star Motors is first-rate.

“The Western Stars are cheaper to run,” Tony continued. “We also have a Volvo, and while not taking anything away from their product, they’re a very comfortable truck to drive, but the Western Stars are cheaper and handle the rough going a bit better. The drivers love them too, and that’s important.

“This is our second Constellation. We bought our other one about 15 months ago,” Tony explained. “We also have an older Heritage model with a Series-60. It’s not B-Double rated though, but the two Constellations are, and the Millennium is road train rated.”

Caterpillar C-15 engines power the two Constellations, and Tony reckons that apart from the power they deliver, which is fantastic, their reliability is one of their better attributes. “The B-Double prime movers do about 280,000 km per year, and we’re getting an average of 1.6 km/l when they’re loaded.

“We have our engines on the CAT-Extra plan, so they are serviced by Gough and Gilmour,” Tony continued. “We get them serviced at Newcastle, Dubbo or Gunnedah, wherever they happen to be at the time.

“You see a lot of trucks at saleyards just sitting around for most of the day while the sale takes place. We strive for maximum utilisation and get our trucks serviced instead, rather than have them sit idle at the saleyards. That way we don’t lose any time and I find it reasonably cheap and very convenient.

“The Western Stars have the same running gear as a Kenworth, but they’re a little cheaper and have a wider shaped cab,” Tony said. “I like the Western Star cabs because they’re very roomy, and we have a good relationship with the dealership.

This one has a 550hp CAT-15 engine that produces 1850 lb-ft of torque under the hood, which is coupled to an Eaton RTLO20918B transmission with Meritor RT50-160GP rear axles all riding on Neway air-suspension.

This heavy duty Western Star is built tough for the harsh conditions of cattle haulage and came standard with two CR Turbo 2000 air dryers with heaters. Dual 330mm (13”) external Donaldson air cleaners with water resistant elements, and 152mm (6”) diameter raised ducting, and intakes feed the Cat engine plenty of air.

Up front is the renowned heavy-duty King built Warrego bulbar. “They’re great bullbars,” Tony revealed. “As you can imagine we get a lot of animal strikes up here and they have saved us countless times.”

“Just look at this truck,” Tony enthused, pointing to the Millennium. “I don’t think you could order a better-specced truck, in my opinion. I like the high-rise bunk, and our drivers all agree. If you live in a truck for a week at a time, then a truck like this is what you want to do it in.

“The drivers like the super singles on the steer as they handle a little better,” Tony explained.

That’s where the conversation ended, Tony’s a busy man, and cattle were waiting to be loaded. Then, finally, the trailer’s gates opened, and ramps rattled as cattle were sorted and loaded for the next leg of their journey to our dinner tables.

Well-maintained used Western Star trucks with sound documented service history are highly sought after and rarely last long on the used truck market. It’s not uncommon to see 2014 models with around one million kilometres on the clock, including a reasonable size sleeper selling between $135,000 and $150,000. So neatly presented customised Western Star trucks indeed hold their resale value.

Therefore, if you’re fortunate enough to find one of these truly rare limited-edition 4900 FXC Western Star trucks, then treat it with the respect that it deserves, don’t beat about the bush penny pinching and taking shortcuts with any repairs.

If you’re purchasing privately, it’s well worth investing in a pre-purchase inspection, which will provide an accurate cost estimate of any repairs or modifications required to suit your specific application. It’s also worth investing in full B-Service, which will set you back roughly $1600, including all filters and oil.

Spare parts prices vary considerably; for instance, a new set of greaseless Jost fifth wheel pads (part# SK3106/007) will set you $258.06 from Brown and Hurley or $493.14 from Truckline, so it pays to shop around.

However, when you’ve paid a premium for a quality customised used truck, it is worth treating yourself and the truck few trimmings to keep your rig looking at its best. So drop into your nearest Western Star dealer for some genuine bits;
• Chrome Hub Cover with Western Star logo Kit to suit 285 10 Stud (part # RDCK285W) $346.93 incl GST
• Genuine Western Star 18” Constellation steering wheel (part# NTBL1824P4) $270.71 incl GST
• Wool seat cover with Wester Star logo – to suit National High-Back Seats (part# RDPC1WLBGY) $230.74 incl GST
*Prices correct at the time of writing.

Finally, allow a couple of weekends and plenty of elbow grease to get the shine back into the tanks, wheels and bulbar. You can pick up a 1-kg tin of Autosol metal polish from Supercheap or Repco for $56, a Mother’s Power Ball for around $40 from most auto parts dealers, and a bag of rags for $20 should be enough to restore a reasonable shine to all the polished alloy components.

Make: Western Star
Model: 4900 6x4
Engine: Caterpillar C15
Horsepower: 550hp (410kW) at 1600rpm
Torque: 1850lb/ft (2508Nm) at 1100rpm
Gearbox: Eaton RTLO20918B 18-speed
Front Axle: Meritor FG-941 6.5T
Front Suspension: Taper leaf 7.5T
Steering: TWR TA85
Rear Axles: Meritor RT-50-160GP
Rear Axle Ratio: 4.56
Rear Suspension: Neway AD252
Main Driveline: Meritor RPL25SD
Interaxle Driveline: Meritor RPL20
Brakes: WABCO Antilock Braking System with traction control
Fuel Tank: Alloy 4 x 473L
Cabin: Steel conventional cab. E-coated
Interior: Vinyl Trim with diamond stitching on door & back panels
Extras: Stratosphere ‘walk-through’ sleeper, twin CR Turbo 2000 air dryer with heater, Jost JSK37 fifth wheel, chassis checker plate, stainless rear guards, fresh water tank