Western Star Launches 47X Model for Weight-Sensitive Vocational Market
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Daimler Trucks North America has introduced the Western Star 47X vocational model, a Class 8 truck intended for lighter-weight applications than the heavier 49X introduced in September 2020.
The 47X is about 200 pounds lighter than the 49X in like-for-like spec, and is intended for weight-sensitive applications such as mixers and bulk haul, according to the Portland, Ore.-based company.
The 47X is expected to replace Western Star’s existing 4700 series vocational trucks within the next two or three years. The 4700, introduced in 2011, has proven to be one of DTNA’s most popular models, said Samantha Parlier, the company’s vice president of vocational market segment development, and it has high hopes for the new model. “We expect both the 47X and 49X to increase in popularity far beyond the 4700,” she said.
She noted the incoming truck differs significantly from the outgoing model.
There is very little carryover from 4700 to 47X,” she said. “The X-series is the brand of the future. The entire electrical system is different and the chassis is completely different as well.”
The Western Star X series. (Daimler Trucks North America)
Western Star also worked hard on taking weight out of the 47X compared with the 49X, Parlier noted.
“The engineers went through and hand-weighed every single part, and built an entire truck based on hand-weighed parts — every washer, every nut, every bolt — to ensure we had a 100% accurate weight of what went into the truck and what the total weight is,” Parlier said. “The goal was 16,100 pounds, and we hit it.”
All X-series trucks have tougher, yet lighter, single-channel frame rail options versus legacy products, according to DTNA. The platform offers frame rails with resisting bending moment (RBM) of up to 3.8 million inch-pounds to extend life and return higher payload. A new 9.5-millimeter single channel rail option features comparable strength as today’s 11-millimeter rail. Standard high-strength aluminum forward, rear and end-of-frame crossmembers further reduce mass, DTNA said.
The steel-reinforced aluminum cab further reduces mass by up to 8% while offering greater driver comfort with 13% more space than competitors, DTNA claimed. An optional two-person bench seat is available for applications demanding a large on-site crew, and a new space-optimized, in-cab battery box affords additional legroom to the operator.
All X-series models come standard with a wraparound dash that provides easy access to the driver command center and B-panel. On the B-panel, a flex panel can be prepped for a tablet or configured for an additional 12 switches or 10 gauges.
Body controls on the flex panel of the 47X. (Daimler Trucks North America)
The standard engine on the 47X is the Detroit DD13 Gen 5, which features higher compression ratios and a new swirl piston design to further improve combustion and efficiency. Engine options are the L9 and X12 from Cummins Inc. An optional front-engine power takeoff is offered on both Cummins engines and the Detroit DD13 for applications such as snowplows.
The Detroit Assurance suite of active safety systems is standard for any 47X equipped with the DD13 Gen 5 — which includes, among other features, active brake assist, side guard assist and adaptive cruise control.
Allison Transmission’s model 4500 automatic transmission is standard in the 47X.
Parlier
The 47X comes with a standard 111.6-inch bumper to back of cab. For applications that must meet federal or local bridge law requirements, there’s an optional 110.8-inch BBC.
There are customers where either the 49X or 47X would perform well, Parlier added. “You have to get into their specifics like bridge laws or weight laws they have in their area.”
The 47X also has 11 inches better visibility-to-ground than the 49X, which she said was industry-leading at its introduction. “Now the 47X is even better.”
Parlier said DTNA is continually working on product plans, but declined to say if those included an electric version of the 47X.
The 47X is available for order, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2022.
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