Western Star's overhaul of its vocational line continues with the debut of the all-new 47X.
With a standard 111.6-inch bumper-to-back-of cab (BBC), the 47X will usher out the Western Star 4700, and will do so by adding significant flexibility. The 4700 is exclusively available in 110-inch BBC, but for the 47X, an optional 110.8-inch BBC will also be made available for fleets that need to meet federal or local bridge laws, such as mixers or dumps.
Daimler Trucks North America Vice President of Vocational Market Development Sam Parlier called the new model a "construction powerhouse," noting that with its shorter hood and up to 50-degree wheel cut, the 47X optimizes maneuverability for work on jobsites and congested urban environments.
The 47X is the younger, smaller and lighter sibling in Western Star's X-Series and joins the 49X as the third and fourth trucks in the lineup (both models are available with set-forward and set-back front axles). The X-Series is Western Star's new-generation lineup – a product suite born following a seven-year development cycle alongside customers, and the 47X was developed in unison with the 49X, which debuted about a year ago.
Approximately 200 pounds lighter than the 49X in like-for-like spec and 10 inches shorter, the 47X is suited for weight-sensitive applications like mixers and bulk haul.
Light-weighting was a focus of the 47X engineering team. Parlier said the group "built a truck from the ground up, and they weighed every single part to determine where we were putting hidden weight."
All X-Series trucks have a tougher but lighter single-channel frame rail option versus legacy products. The platform offers frame rails with best-in-class RBM (resisting bending moment) of up to 3.8 million inch-pounds, which increases lifecycle and offers greater payload. A new 9.5-millimeter single-channel rail option is available and features comparable strength as today’s 11-millimeter rail. Standard high-strength aluminum forward, rear and end-of-frame crossmembers further reduce mass, as does a new two-battery option.
