Western Star 4800FX: B-Double review

It was mid-morning when Kym Puckridge quietly pulled his 4800FX Western Star off the Newell Highway into the Narrabri truck-stop in northwest NSW.

He was two-thirds of the way through a 1900-odd-kilometre trek from his hometown of Karoonda in South Australia to Toowoomba in southeast Queensland with a load of premium quality grain. Earlier that morning, he’d dropped his rig into the truck wash a hundred or so kilometers to the south at Gilgandra while he had breakfast. It was gleaming.

"I'd come through a lot of rain and road works and the truck was fairly dirty," Kym said.

"Because we carry food-grade products we like to keep our trucks clean at all times. They charge $180 to get it washed which is a good investment, as our customers like seeing their products arriving in clean vehicles."

Karoonda Freight Services has been operating for over a decade and has brought a consistent service to broad-acre farmers in the heart of the Mallee region.

Karoonda is a quaint little rural town, located 150 kilometres northeast of Adelaide on the Karoonda Highway, between Murray Bridge and Loxton. It was founded on wheat growing at the start of the 20th century and huge grain silos still dominate the town's landscape. The town briefly shot to international fame back in 1930 when a meteorite fell to earth just to the east of the town centre on the night of November 25.

There's no question that Western Star trucks are conventional in the true sense of the word and have remained true to their North American heritage in spite of increasing globalisation in the truck-making business. Likewise, there's no doubt the square lines and flashy chrome draw a particular type of operator, who prior to the 26-metre ruling may have simply accepted the cab-over prime mover in the absence of the bonneted alternatives that now fit the bill.

That said, there are plenty of owners and drivers, like Kym, who prefer looking down the barrel of a bonnet, albeit short and sloping, and sitting aft of the front wheels in the course of their daily occupations.

Call it 'conventional' thinking, call it what you will – the fact is there is ample room within the 26-metre B-Double envelope for bonneted prime movers such as the 4800FX without compromising fuel capacity, maneuverability, sleeper cab space and wheelbase dimensions.

Kym admitted that Karoonda Freight Services have been utilising four Western Star trucks for some time now to deliver bulk fertilisers and grains for Mallee wheat farmers and said the vehicles have really stood the test of time.

"The Western Star is reliable, strong, low cost and is very comfortable," he said.

"We haven't had any problems with them and more importantly no breakdowns. Time is money so when we have to endure any downtime on our vehicles it really affects our business."

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By way of proof, at the time of writing this particular Western Star had clocked over one million kilometres, adding another 100,000 kilometres in the past eight months.

Kym said the amount of time he sleeps in his truck is just one of the reasons why they specify Western Star's Stratosphere sleeper with the extra headroom and space to stand up.

"I can even walk around and change without bending," said Kym.

"The short-bonnet 48-series Western Star with the large sleeper is an ideal choice for our work as it comes under the regulation length with my trailers."

Hauling bulk freight five to six days a week is not a problem for the Karoonda Freight Services' Western Star and, according to Kym, the business is growing rapidly.

This Western Star 4800FX punches out 550hp and produces 1850ft/lb. The vehicle features an 18-speed Eaton RTLO 20918B transmission, D46-170P rear-axles (rated to 46,000lb) and rides on Airliner 46K air-ride suspension.

What's more, Kym likes the fact that the dash arrangement offers everything a traditional US truck should, with no fewer than 12 chromed bezel gauges surrounding the speedometer and tachometer, all mounted in a wrap-around woodgrain dash housing a wide array of switches.

This Western Star also provides strong fuel economy, while the Groeneveld automatic greasing system eliminates the need to perform weekly greasing maintenance.

"Of course, I still have to grease the drivetrain but the rest of the components are sorted out with the Groeneveld system," Kym said.

The flexibility of the Western Star design is the fact that this truck fits neatly into many applications, such as truck and dog, B-Double, B-Triple, roadtrain and livestock, as noted by the approval placards on the chassis.

A couple of other additional features fitted to this Western Star 4800 worth checking out are the 'Right Weigh' on-board scales which provide an accurate means for the driver to load his truck legally.

"They are very easy to use," Kym said.

"There's a switch at the base which opens the air line and the pressure of the airbags is read on the dial as a weight in tonnes. Also, when it's on a weighbridge I can get the axle weights from the weighbridge and calibrate my onboard scales so they're very accurate. Then for traveling I simply turn the air off with the switch so the gauge doesn't get shock loads as the suspension works while in transit.

"The Crossfire dual pressure equalising system really saves the tyres too," Kym said.

"Basically, when the truck is in motion, the inner tyres' temperature increases due to in-board brakes and poor air circulation. This causes increased air pressure, which expands the inner tyre's diameter. As a result, the dual tyre configuration is now distorted – the diameters are unequal.

"Now with this system the tyre pressure is the same in both tyres and they're even in size. They also have a rapid release valve so if one tyre blows the other will still remain inflated."

The list of standard equipment on this truck reads like an optional extras brochure and includes such items as dual Hadley air horns, exterior sun visor, two-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and chrome-finish door handles.

"We took delivery of this Western Star 4800FX in late last year and so far it has clocked over 150,000 trouble-free kilometres," said Kym.

"The teething problems that often come with new trucks simply haven't happened."

Model: Western Star 4800 FX (6x4)
Engine: Caterpillar C15
Horsepower: 550hp (410kW) at 1850rpm
Torque: 1850ft/lb (2508Nm) at 1100rpm
Gearbox: Eaton RTLO20915B 18-speed Roadranger
Air cleaner: Dual Stainless Cyclopacs
Fuel filter: Fuel Pro and fuel/water separator
Electrical: Delco Remy 12V 160A alternator
Front axles: Meritor MFS73
Front suspension: Taper leaf rated at 7258kg
Power steering: TRW TAS85, 23.3:1 ratio
Rear axles: Dana D46-170 tandem drive
Rear axle ratio: 4.56:1
Rear suspension: Airliner tandem-drive 46,000lb
Brakes: HD (P-type) drum brakes with auto slacks
Windscreen: Two-piece, flat
Interior: Mesa vinyl upholstery package
Seats: National 2000 high-back
Bumper: Polished alloy
Battery box: LHS under cab above tank
Extras: Gold bezel metric gauges