At a first glance, the Western Star 4700 is squarely aimed at the vocational market – especially towards tipper and agitator work – but after driving it on the road, it soon becomes obvious that it wouldn’t be out of place as a prime mover in short and medium haul single trailer applications too. On top of that, the 4700 is also suitable for municipal, towing and recovery work, making it more versatile than one might think.
The tipper and agitator market will continue to be the 4700’s main territory, though, as it is forecast to generate increasing demand over the coming years as new infrastructure projects progress around the nation. Consequently, the category is becoming more and more competitive, with conventional trucks now being challenged by some serious Japanese cab-over models too.
Tare weight is critical in most of these applications, and Western Star has pared the weight down on the 4700 to the point that it sits well within a 100kg band with several of its competitors. But despite that strong focus on minimising weight, the 4700’s cab construction is based on welded steel for strength and longevity, and the single chassis rails are half an inch thick. In addition, the chassis can be ordered pre-drilled for custom body applications, which will endear it to body builders and makes the Western Star engineers less nervous about what happens to their designs further down the line.
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