Wierd Western Star

greg334 · Mar 11, 2008

Yesterday as I was pulling out of the truck stop, turning left in front of me at the entrance was a western star.

Nothing special about it, pulling a 48' trailer but I looked and had to look again.

The hood, cab and sleeper were sitting above the frame about 4 or 5 inches - big gap between the frame and the hood, cab and sleeper. I could read the sign on the other side of the truck without any problem.

Anyone ever seen anything like that?

Is there a reason for that? Maybe off roading in a western star?

Moot · Mar 11, 2008

Greg, are you out west in logging country? Many vocational trucks are spec'd with heavy rated axles, larger springs and double frames. For the past few years Western Star has been offering a chopped down road tractor called the Low Rider or something similar to that. Must be aimed at the growing Mexican trucking market.

piper1 · Mar 11, 2008

Cab air suspension.

When western Star started to put an air suspension on their cabs they simply took the cab they had and put the bags under it. An old Western Star cab sat pretty much right on the frame rails, folks might remember when the exhaust pipes wrapped around the back of the fuel tanks before turning forward to go up behind the cab doors as there was no room under the cab for them.

They lifted things up for the air bags and then they realized that all that open air space hurt fuel mileage, so they put skirts and panels on like everyone else. I think it was like this for only 2 model years.

As a mechanic I loved the gap, made it real easy to see if you had to do a clutch or tranny work.

greg334 · Mar 11, 2008

Piper,
it may be one from those two years. The gap was large.

Moot,
I wish I had my camera when I sat down at the border in San Diego, I saw a Mexican KW chopped, lowered and channeled pulling a polished trailer behind it. It was something amazing to see as much as the old Ford COE C truck which was all decked out with lights and chrome.

arkjarhead · Mar 11, 2008

Moot,
I think you are talking about the LoMax. It's geared to drivers that pull grain trailers. Sometimes top clearence is an issue with them because they have to pull under spouts to load. A lot of places have gotten where they can accomadate a 13'6" tractor, but there are still a lot that only handle a mid-roof at the most. Then some have to go load right on the farm at times and it only makes sense to have a truck that will allow clearence for the grain buggy spout so it doesn't tear anything up.