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Schulz V-Series 20120HWV80X-3 Two-Stage Air Compressor, 208V Three Phase

Schulz warrants this machine for 1 Year on the unit and 2 Year on the pump. That split is the most informative thing on the spec sheet, because it tells you where the manufacturer expects a two-stage compressor to be judged. The pump is the part that decides whether you are still happy in year six, and it is the part Schulz is willing to stand behind for longer than the rest of the machine.

What earns that extra coverage is the V-Series cast iron pump: a two-stage, belt-driven, splash-lubricated block with the cylinders arranged in a V. It sits on a 120-gallon horizontal receiver, driven by a 20 HP WEG totally enclosed fan-cooled motor on 208V three-phase power, and it will hold pressure to a maximum of 175 PSI.

The V arrangement is a cooling decision, not a styling one

Two-stage compression makes heat. Air is compressed once in the large cylinder, passed through an intercooler, then compressed again in the small one, and every one of those steps adds energy that has to leave the pump somewhere. Heat is what kills a cast iron pump — it thins the oil, distorts clearances and carbonizes deposits onto the valves.

Splaying the cylinders into a V puts physical space between them so each one has its own path for cooling air, instead of one cylinder sitting in the hot exhaust of its neighbour. The cylinder fins are cut deeper than a light-duty pump's for the same reason: more surface area shedding heat into the air moving past. Add a low operating speed and the result is a pump that runs cooler at the same output, and a pump that runs cooler simply lasts longer. That is the whole engineering argument, and it is why the block is cast iron rather than aluminium.

The parts inside that are worth paying for

• Oversized main bearings. The crankshaft in a two-stage pump takes an asymmetric load all day. Larger bearings carry it with lower unit pressure, which is unglamorous and is exactly what long service life is made of.
• Swedish steel valves. Valves open and close every revolution for the life of the machine. Valve steel that keeps its temper at working temperature is the difference between a pump that holds its output and one that quietly loses it.
• CNC machined components. Consistent clearances mean consistent sealing, less blow-by past the rings, and less oil migrating into the air line.
• Notched belts as standard, inside an enclosed belt guard. Notched belts flex more easily around the sheaves and run cooler than a plain V-belt; the guard is there because a spinning drive at chest height in a busy shop is a hazard.
• Powder coated components, which resist the rust and corrosion that a compressor accumulates in a damp shop, particularly around the tank and the drain.

Wired, mounted and ready to connect

The magnetic starter is mounted and prewired at the factory. That sounds like a convenience item and it is really a commissioning item: an unwired industrial compressor arriving on a pallet means a control panel, an enclosure and an afternoon of an electrician's time before it turns over. This one needs the supply brought to it and little else.

Schulz does not publish an amp draw or a breaker size for this model and directs the installation to a certified electrician instead. We are passing that on exactly as written rather than inventing a circuit size — at 20 HP the difference between a correct and an approximate branch circuit is not academic.

Will it fit?

The compressor measures 80" long, 30" wide and 62" high, and it weighs 1180 lbs. Three things follow from that.

First, the length: 80" is a long horizontal tank, and it wants a wall it can live along rather than a corner. Second, the height: at 62" the machine clears most shelving and mezzanines, but leave headroom above the pump for cooling air and for a service technician's hands. Third, and most important, the weight: 1180 lbs is a forklift or a pallet jack on a flat, sound floor. It is not a machine that gets carried, and the floor it lands on should be level concrete, not a wooden mezzanine deck.

Power is 208V three phase. Confirming that the supply exists at your building and having the branch circuit, disconnect and grounding installed to code by a licensed electrician is the buyer's responsibility. Leave clear air around the machine for the pump's cooling and keep the intake away from grinder dust and paint overspray.

Perfect for

• Multi-bay automotive shops running several air tools continuously through the working day.
• Body shops with sanders, blasters and spray equipment on the same line.
• Fabrication and welding shops where plasma cutting demands stable pressure.
• Fleet and municipal maintenance garages that keep equipment for a decade and care about the pump warranty.
• Light manufacturing with air-driven tooling on a shift pattern.

What is in the box

Based on the manufacturer's own feature list for this model, the unit ships with the WEG electric motor, the V-Series cast iron pump with oversized main bearings and Swedish steel valves, CNC machined components, notched belts inside the enclosed belt guard, powder coated components, a mounted and prewired magnetic starter, an oil sight glass, and the 120-gallon horizontal air receiver with a 1" tank outlet. An air dryer, an aftercooler and an electronic drain valve are listed as not included, and no air piping or electrical hookup materials are supplied.

Specifications

Ratings, stated plainly

The safety valve and the air receiver are ASME rated, which is the pressure-vessel standard an inspector or an insurer normally looks for on a shop air tank, and it is the claim Schulz makes for this machine. It is worth being precise about what that covers. It is a vessel and valve rating, not a North American third-party electrical safety listing for the complete assembly, and the two are routinely treated as interchangeable when they are not. We do not hold a document showing such a listing for this model. If your insurer, your local authority or a plant standard requires a nationally recognized testing laboratory mark on the whole machine, confirm it before you order.

Shipping and delivery

This is a freight shipment to the lower 48 states, and at 1180 lbs it is a genuine freight shipment rather than a large parcel. Delivery is curbside and the receiver unloads: plan on a dock, a forklift, or collection from the carrier's terminal. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout. Pickup for Schulz equipment is available in Acworth, GA.

Inspect the crate at the truck before signing. Look for punctures, crushed corners, moved banding and oil on the pallet, and note anything you see on the bill of lading while the driver is present. Signing a clean bill of lading is treated as your confirmation that the shipment arrived undamaged, and reversing that afterwards is difficult. Photograph the crate as it comes off the truck.

Warranty and support

Coverage is 1 Year on the unit and 2 Year on the pump. If a fault appears, open the claim before you open the pump — a compressor that has already been stripped is very hard to warranty, because the manufacturer can no longer see the failure in the state it occurred. Call, text or chat with us first on 866-774-7743 and we will tell you what to record and who to contact.