Review: Western Star 4700SB

David Meredith says Western Star's 4700SB brings simplicity, utility and strength to Australia's construction truck market

Pat Cook is Western Star’s events manager, and he has been driving Western Stars for donkey’s years. His 20 years as a driver have brought him many experiences, both good and bad. Hopefully my time in Western Star’s latest, the 4700SB, would chalk up another of the former, rather than the latter.

The newest model in the range is smaller than the bread-and-butter interstate prime movers the company just keeps on selling. A choice between Detroit Diesel and Cummins power is an advantage in today’s market, as many fleets are inclined to be loyal to an engine type, if only for parts and service commonality.

The 4700 brings the US-style keep-it-simple approach to the construction truck arena. One engine is available – the Cummins 8.9-litre ISL Euro 5 engine in one of several outputs. Depending on the task, you can select from 260 to 400hp (191 to 294kW) and from 1560 to 1763Nm of torque.

Configuration is 6x4 (4764SB) or 8x4 (4784SB). There are three transmissions in the 6x4 – an Eaton 18-speed manual or UltraShift AMT, with an Allison six-speed full automatic as an option. The 8x4 is only available with the Allison auto box.

Only a day cab is available, and the chassis development has been kept simple for both strength and lightness. The 1300mm frame rails are single channel to avoid corrosion between layers and they’re custom drilled to the application.

The 6x4 4764SB test truck had a 6.5-tonne Meritor front axle with taper-leaf suspension (definitely aimed at heavy-duty work) and a Dana Spicer rear axle rated at 20 tonnes, riding on Airliner rear suspension.

Maximum wheelbase is 6452mm but, as the test truck was fitted with a Hercules tipping body, the wheelbase on test was 5100mm.

As a result I expected the truck to pitch across bad road sections but I was pleasantly surprised. More on that later.

The Penske organization is the new owner of distribution for Western Star, and as a ship had just arrived the facility at Wacol in Queensland was crawling with Western Star models. Some tri-drive prime movers were also in the yard – they’re on their way north for some mine-site torture.

The bigger gear comes in as gliders, needing a push or a pull as all the plumbing for the Cummins Euro 5 system needs to be fitted at Wacol before delivery to the dealer network. But the 4700SB arrives ready to roll and roll we did, as soon as I got comfortable behind the wheel.

In typical US style the cab is fairly narrow and there isn’t a lot of fore and aft room either. But this isn’t an interstate cruiser, and although the door opening was significantly under 90 degrees, the wide serrated steps made it easy and safe to get on board.

The door mirrors are tall and broad, and even though the driving position is unchanged from a few decades ago, I got comfortable quickly and enjoyed good vision through the split windscreen and deep side windows.

The dashboard is strictly functional and will be recognized instantly by any Western Star operator. It’s typical US-style old fashioned, with park brake plungers, cruise control and Jacobs brake toggle switches stuck on the dash rather than on the wheel or steering column.

It’s been a while since I’ve driven the 'small' Cummins and I was surprised that the engine started and ran as if it was one of the 16-litre big-block bruisers. The Euro 5 system concentrates the emissions controls in the exhaust stack, with an air-operated dosing controller for the AdBlue, a filter for the air feed and sensors along the length of the cylinder. It means the engine doesn’t run as hot as some of its competitors, and with the emissions components right there on the stack, any servicing is a breeze.

My first need was to get used to an engine that responded very quickly to the throttle, and before I nailed it I had some trouble getting the revs right before changing without some unpleasant noises. Despite all my criticism of drivers who fail to use the tacho when driving an unfamiliar engine/gearbox combination, I did exactly what I knew was wrong and tried to gauge the change on noise, as Pat quietly chuckled to himself at my inexperience.

However, once that was sorted the drive through some traffic and on to the freeway was pretty uneventful. The 4700SB won’t be doing much distance cruising in its lifetime, but the drive from Wacol to the slopes surrounding Toowoomba was surprisingly like a truck set up for distance work. If I ignored the fact that there was no sleeper, it did feel similar to a long-haul 4800. The few hills on the run – before hitting the big one of course – never slowed us down.

I expected that with a decent load on board and the very short wheelbase, the 4700SB would dart all over the place when the road surface got worse. Wrong again. It was easy to keep the truck on line, even on the tricky bits where the camber angled to the outside of the bend – a regular thing on country roads in most Aussie states. The truck was noticeably level on really bad sections. The steering load was easy and in terms of maneuverability, the turning circle will make this model very popular with the operators who do a lot of tight inner-city work.

In a nostalgic mood, Pat insisted we stop at Rusty’s on the way back. It was one of his favourite watering holes when he was on the road, and he hadn’t been back for nearly 30 years. We should have realised the condition it was in as ours was the only truck in the parking lot out the back. Needless to say, Pat was very disappointed with the visit and decided that he wouldn’t bother calling again. Another dream dashed!

As far as the detail goes, I think the 4700SB needs remote locking as standard. Almost all cars today, and most trucks, now open up from the key fob. It’s fine to have separate locking systems for each side as most 4700SB tipper drivers will never have a passenger, but opening up with the key is now unusually old.

Probably the only thing I would change on this rig if I was buying one for my own operation is the gearbox. Grinding around the city with up to 20 tonnes all up means a lot of momentum lost during gear changes, and that’s with the most experienced drivers.

Even Eaton’s excellent UltraShift Plus has to mesh the gears for a smooth change and the delay robs speed and therefore fuel. There is no real business argument for not specifying the Allison automatic and rendering torque loss as obsolete. In a busy day on site and on the road, the fuel efficiencies of constant torque mean serious money over a truck’s lifespan.

Because of the 4700SB, the heavy-duty reputation of Western Star will now be put to the test, to see if it can effectively migrate down to the lower end of heavy duty. In any case, with sharply angled styling reminiscent of a real-life Transformer, the 4700SB series models are unlikely to age.

WESTERN STAR 4700SB SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: Cummins 8.9-litre ISL

POWER: 400hp (298kW) at 2200rpm

TORQUE: 1763Nm at 1300rpm

EMISSIONS: ADR 80/03

STD TRANSMISSION: Eaton RTLO-20918B 18-speed manual

OPT TRANSMISSION: Eaton UltraShift Plus AMT; Allison automatic

CONFIGURATION: 6x4 or 8x4

TARE: 7990kg

GVM: 23,000kg

GCM: 36,000kg (optional higher GCM on approval)

WHEELBASE: 5100-6452mm

BBC: 2824mm

TURNING CIRCLE: 18.9m (5100mm wheelbase)

BRAKES: Drum

CABS: Day

WEB: www.westernstar.com.au

Review: Western Star 4700SB

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