Construction Equipment's Tom Berg drives and reviews the Western Star 6900XD, a lower-cost (35% less fuel) alternative to traditional off-road haul trucks. It's based on Western Star (now a division of Freightliner) highway trucks, but integrates a 128-inch-wide J&J dump body and pushes a 70-ton GVW. The 500-hp Detroit Diesel Series 60 and 4500 Series Allison 6-speed automatic propel it to a 43 mph top speed. Interesting analysis of performance at a PA quarry, on engine/transmission/braking/retarding characteristics, and the operator's station. All from a veteran truck reviewer.
We demo'd one about a month ago. Seems like a good truck, but it certainley isnt a dedicated rock truck. And the operator comfort wasnt comparable to a true off highway truck either.
Is this not taking a step back in time, Aveling Barford springs immediately to mind I think any truck manufacturer is going to have their work cut out to compete in the 30 to 40t rock hauling market today. Will be intresting to see what the people that get the chance to demo the trucks have to say.
I saw one of these many months ago on a lowboy in Birmingham on I-459. At the time I thought it was a custom rig headed for the coal mines. I'm with you Rob seems like going back a step as far as off-road haulers go. I have run 25T artics and a rigid frame truck is no match to where they can go and what they can do on a job site. What is the price of these units? Maybe a cheaper purchase price and lower overall maintenance costs, in the right conditions would warrant such a truck. Also interesting that Cat/International is doing the same. From the CE article -
This is nothing new. Kenworth has made them for many years, mostly in a 50 ton version. Some of the larger quarries use them for yard trucks to relocate material in the plant, clean out hoppers, etc. They run very cheap, but have limited rough terrain ability. I have been working with a pretty new KW, 2007 or 2008, with a similar bed to the one in the picture. It is being used alongside a Cat 740, and it leaves the 740 in the dust on any kind of a good road, and does it uphill or down. Get into soft underfoot, or rough ground, and the 740 keeps going where the big KW has to stop. I can see them being a good alterative in the right conditions.
Thanks for the info Jerry, you learn something everyday. I can't say I have ever seen a truck like this, be it Star or KW, on a job site around my area. It's always scrapers, artics, rigids or on-road trucks. Hence the reason for snapping a pic while driving of this beast, it was something new to me.
Hey CM Hope you did not take the "Nothing new" as anything against you, or the posting of it. I was just trying to point out it was something that has been around a while, even though it is not "mainstream" I wonder where it was going after you spotted it. My guess would be a quarry.
No offense taken Jerry. Actually, I just searched the KW 500's to find out more about them. Those look like some serious rigs, especially the oil field versions with the 2 steering(?) axles up front. I have worked in places that a tracked skid steer or a mini-ex would have been something new. LOL
you have videos of this truck
Wow! that was a lucky coincidence, nice shot. :drinkup Thanks Jerry, as CM says, not something one is immediately aware of but thats the beauty of HEF. :cool2
Yeah a truck like that is as rare in my area as a .......... rubber duck.
:lmao :lmao :thumbsup
6900's We run a few 6900's we have 6 of them, We haul with large custom trailers we haul 50 tons loads and we love them! They are bullet proof. hate the wire harness on the new ones we we have had nothing but problems with low quality harnesses! They are in the shop all the time, When we speced them we wanted remote mounted Allisons and the salesman talked the buyer out of it and now we struggle with them and the cheesy wire. The older ones with fullers and CATs are like the everready bunnys,we run them around the clock and all year in all conditions The first Month of chains is like spring training (chaining the 1400x24 sucks) the singles weight about 125 pounds apiece. Kris
What are you hauling? And who do you work for? I didn't know anything like that existed out on the Peninsula.
We haul concentrate for a mine in Alaska I live in the Pennsulia work two on two off travel back and forth, It was too expensive to live in Alaska, Its cheaper to live out of Alaska and commute back and forth then live there, I was born and raised there but I was going broke living there. Kris
great read wish i had a couple on a big dirt job i had two years ago
As said here its not a new type of truck. Late 80's i drove a Volvo F12 with the biggest tandem in a quarry.(3 axled truck) It had a 15m3 heavy duty box with a steel top hinged backdoor. That truck loaded 20m3 heaped and went all day with 50t/110' Lbs total. We drove on special Michelin quarry tyres, nothing else survived the weights. The truck was garantied heavier weights from the factory, due to the lower speed. In surtain jobs with long haulage and hard ground, it will compete out both artics and other trucks.
Hophuser, I have an idea where you might haul that ore. Tried to get on their myself, to no avail. Hauled logs in alaska for years with the heavy off-hwy's, including the planetaried Kenworths. Hauled ore in Nevada last year with one nearly the same, clark rears & planetaries, 2 trailers, 4 side dumps and loading 124 tons. Day & night shifts, so you'd better get it right..before running at night. Coming down off mountain, switch-backs, steep..and then it started snowing....made you pay attention. However, these old girls do fine with ice-bit singles run staggered on drivers. [Too bad we didn't have any.] Looking for off-hwy work, if you have a suggestion. Right at home doing it.
Saw one of these Western Stars on a lowboy in Wyoming this year. Found they build them at Portland, OR but didn't get a chance to find out where it was headed. I'd rather do the off-hwy work anytime, over running on the highways. Pretty near got wiped out three times just running to town for groceries ...and that was by Trucks! Good grief. Would take a decent paying off-highway job without a second thought.
Any updates from people actually using these types of trucks?
Well we just bought four new C500's we had a hard time with newer Stars and wiring harness we were running d decks and Allison's the harnesses couldn't hold up and truck avilibilty wasn't there. Our old stars were the best they had 3406's and fillers and we are still running one will get a picture of the truck maybe Friday its supposed to clear up.
Thanks!