If market longevity is any gauge of product success, theWestern Star 4900 model line would be the truck equivalent of a baseball grandslam.
Introduced in 1967, the 4900 was Western Star’s firstproduction vehicle. The unit was heavy-duty in every sense of the term andintended for severe service in the logging and mining industries. That samemodel—albeit a much more refined and lighter version—is still beingmanufactured today, and it’s used across the trucking-application spectrum.
The 4900 is one of two base models Western Star buildsnowadays. It’s the proverbial little brother to the massive 6900 line, which isthe ultimate in off-road hauling machinery, featuring triple and quadrupleC-channel frames and planetary axles—plus a tare weight that limits itson-highway payload to a driver and his lunch bucket.
With the oversized 6900 handling really big stuff, the 4900has to be versatile enough to cover all other customer needs, such aslong-haul, regional, P&D, refuse, bulk, timber and construction. WesternStar officials accomplished this feat by offering essentially four variationsof the truck: FA (set-forward front axle), SA (set-back front axle), EX(extended hood) and Low-Max (basically an EX, but with a lower ride height andtaller attitude).
Western Star has long been the industry’s niche player,appealing mainly to owner-operators and small fleets, particular those withunique vehicular demands. This reputation for building fully customized truckshas been somewhat of a double-edged sword; however, the company has some of themost loyal customers of any OEM. It’s sort of the Lamborghini of North Americanheavy automotive manufacturing.
And just like a high-end sports car, the Western Star 4900offers a premium fit and finish—this in addition to its nearly legendarydurability. All versions of the truck use the same steel cab, dubbed theConstellation, which was introduced in 1996 and has changed little since. Itfeatures a spacious interior that is both “old school” and elegant. Threebroad, flat dash panels directly ahead of the driver can accommodate as many as20 gauges and 36 large, rectangular switches—not to mention a digital readoutthat provides even more trip and truck information. This level ofinstrumentation or fingertip control probably exceeds that found in somecommercial aircraft.
Above and beyond the rosewood dash, the view outside canbest be described as traditional, framed in part by the squarish hoodsavailable with the 4900. Of these, the SA variant, considered slightly more aerodynamicthan the others, offers the shortest line-of-sight to the pavement ahead of thebumper, but it will still eclipse a Miata or motorcycle that’s too close forcomfort.
Western Star is the only truck maker these days that doesn’tbuild a fully streamlined aero model. The reason: no demand from buyers, saysMatt Gervais, the company’s product strategy manager. “Over the years, ourcustomers have made it clear to us that they prefer traditional styling,” hesays. “We pay a lot of attention to their preferences whenever we’reconsidering any changes to our product line.”
This input was apparently key in developing the company’smost recent sleeper compartment, the Stratosphere, introduced in 2003. Thefirst prototype of the unit, displayed two years earlier at the Mid-AmericaTrucking Show, had garnered a considerable amount of negative feedback fromloyalists and purists. That sent engineers back to their proverbial drawingboards to restart the effort. They returned to MATS in ’03 with a compartment thatmore closely matched the brand’s heritage.
Visually, the Stratosphere is something of a rollingcontradiction, featuring traditional design elements atop a fully aerodynamicand seemingly integral sleeper. The combination is attractive and effective. It’salso misleading. The Stratosphere is not part of the truck’s cab, but itappears to be because both compartments share a common roof. The approachneatly achieves the company’s somewhat divergent design goals, boostinginterior dimensions while maintaining exterior convention.
From the outside, the Strato-sphere’s family lineage isobvious. (It is, after all, a tall version of the company’s Star Light sleeper,introduced in 1998.) The unit’s chief identifying element is its soaringfiberglass top, which mimics a normal cab roof for the first 18 in. or sobehind the A-pillars, with enough space to accommodate chrome horns and markerslights. Then it rises sharply to full height above the truck’s seats. Thelocation of this steep incline allows most drivers to walk unbent between thecockpit and sleeper.
The configuration’s benefits aren’t limited to justheadroom, however. Designers used part of the extra space for an overheadstorage console, mounted beneath a large optional skylight window. They also eliminatedany structural boundary between cab and sleeper. A single, overarching ceilingand flat floor throughout add to the notion of an integral enclosure. Theimpression is compounded by a noticeable lack of flexing between front and rearrooms while the truck is moving.
Attention to detail is just one of the factors that has keptWestern Star buyers so enthusiastic about the brand for more than 40 years.Another is consistency, a good example of which is the 4900. Although therehave been slight shifts in the nomenclature during the past four decades, themodel line has been in production from the start. That’s probably a record forthe trucking industry.
To celebrate this milestone, the company is now offering a“Limited ’67” edition of the 4900. Itincludes a Detroit Diesel DD15 engine rated at 560 HP and 1,967 lbs.-ft. oftorque. “That’s the highest rating for the DD15,” Gervais says, “and it’s onlyavailable through Western Star.” The package also includes specialcommemorative door badges and seat stitching, plus a roller board said to be“full of goodies.”
Such a promotion will no doubt appeal to many truckerswhose heads are constantly in the Stars.
