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Schulz V-Series 20120HWV80X-3 Two-Stage Air Compressor, 230V Three Phase

This is the model in the range that publishes the number you actually need to size a shop: 80 CFM at 175 PSI. Most compressor listings give you horsepower and tank size and leave you to guess at delivered air, which is the specification that decides whether three people can work at once. Eighty cubic feet per minute is a genuinely large figure for a single shop machine, and 175 PSI is high enough that you can run your distribution above the pressure your tools need and regulate down at the drop.

Behind it is a 20 HP motor on 230V three-phase supply, a solid cast iron two-stage pump on a belt drive, and a 120-gallon receiver. The unit weighs 1180 lbs.

What 80 CFM at 175 PSI buys you

Air demand is cumulative and most shops underestimate it badly. An impact wrench, a die grinder, a DA sander and a blast cabinet all draw very different amounts, and the sander and the blaster are the ones that never stop. The reason to buy delivered air rather than horsepower is that horsepower tells you what the motor consumes and CFM tells you what comes out of the pipe.

The 175 PSI maximum matters for a second, less obvious reason. Running a distribution loop at a pressure comfortably above tool requirement gives you headroom to absorb the pressure drop across long runs, elbows, filters and dryers, and it lets a 120-gallon receiver hold more usable air in the same steel. Storage is a function of pressure as well as volume, so a tank charged higher carries the shop further through a demand spike before the pump has to catch up.

Two stages, and why the intercooler is the point

A single-stage pump compresses air once and hands you the heat that comes with it. A two-stage pump compresses in a large cylinder, routes the air through an intercooler, then compresses the cooled air again in a smaller cylinder. Cooling between stages is what makes the second compression efficient — cool air is denser and takes less work to squeeze — and it is why two-stage machines reach 175 PSI without the thermal punishment a single-stage pump would take getting there.

The pump here is solid cast iron with the cylinders splayed into a V, which keeps space and airflow between them, and the fins are cut deep to move heat into the passing air. It is splash lubricated with an oil sight glass on the block, so checking the level is a glance rather than a procedure — which matters, because low oil is the single most common cause of a dead compressor pump and the easiest thing in a shop to forget.

Before you order: how the tank is oriented

One point in this listing's own data disagrees with itself, and we would rather you heard it from us.

• The specification sheet records the tank orientation as horizontal.
• One line of the manufacturer description on this listing describes a vertical tank.

Both cannot be true, and we are not going to choose the one that suits the photograph. Tank orientation changes the floor plan completely — a horizontal machine wants a long wall, a vertical one wants a corner and headroom — so if the layout of your shop depends on it, confirm with us before ordering on 866-774-7743 and we will check it against the manufacturer's record for the unit you are buying. Every other specification on this page is consistent across the sources we hold.

Commissioning and controls

The magnetic starter is mounted and wired at the factory, so the machine arrives ready for a supply connection rather than needing a control panel built around it. Schulz directs the branch circuit sizing to a certified electrician rather than publishing a breaker rating, and we are repeating that instruction as given instead of guessing on behalf of a 20 HP motor.

Will it fit?

Overall the machine is 80" long, 30" wide and 62" high, and it weighs 1180 lbs. Set aside a run of wall for it, with clear space around the pump so cooling air can move and a technician can reach the belt guard, the drain and the sight glass. Keep the intake away from grinding dust and paint overspray — an air filter is included, and no filter enjoys a diet of overspray.

The floor matters at this weight. Level concrete, not a raised deck or a mezzanine. Getting it into position needs a forklift or a pallet jack on a sound surface. Confirming that 230V three-phase service is available and having the circuit, disconnect and grounding installed to code by a licensed electrician is the buyer's responsibility.

Perfect for

• Busy multi-bay shops where three or more air tools run simultaneously for hours at a time.
• Collision and refinish shops whose sanders and blasters set the real air demand.
• Fabrication shops running plasma cutting, which needs both volume and steady pressure.
• Small manufacturing and packaging lines with continuous air-driven tooling.
• Shops planning a distribution loop and wanting headroom above tool pressure rather than at it.

What is in the box

From the manufacturer's own feature list for this unit: the WEG electric motor, the V-Series solid cast iron two-stage pump with oversized main bearings and Swedish steel valves, CNC machined components, notched belts inside an enclosed belt guard, powder coated components, a mounted magnetic starter, an oil sight glass, an air filter, and the 120-gallon air receiver with a 1" tank outlet. An air dryer, an aftercooler and an electronic drain valve are listed as not included; air piping, fittings and electrical hookup materials are not supplied.

Specifications

Ratings, stated plainly

The receiver and safety valve carry an ASME rating, which is the pressure-vessel standard an inspector or an insurer expects on a shop air tank, and it is the claim the manufacturer makes for this machine. Be clear about the boundary of that claim: it is a vessel rating, not a North American third-party electrical safety listing covering the complete assembly. The two are often used interchangeably in compressor marketing and they are not the same document. We hold no such listing for this model. If a plant standard, an insurer or a local inspector requires a nationally recognized testing laboratory mark on the whole machine, verify that requirement before the order goes in.

Shipping and delivery

Freight only, within the lower 48 states. At 1180 lbs this arrives on a truck and comes off with equipment: a dock, a forklift, or collection from the carrier's terminal. Delivery is curbside and unloading is the receiver's responsibility. A residential delivery address carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout. Pickup for Schulz equipment is available in Acworth, GA.

Inspect before you sign. Check the crate for punctures, crushed corners, shifted banding and oil on the pallet, and write anything you find on the bill of lading while the driver is still on site. A clean signature is taken as confirmation that the shipment arrived intact, and disputing it later rarely succeeds. Photographs at the truck cost nothing.

Warranty and support

The unit is covered for 1 Year and the pump for 2 Year. Open a claim before you open the pump: once it has been dismantled the manufacturer can no longer assess the failure as it occurred, and the claim becomes very hard to support. Contact us first on 866-774-7743 and we will tell you what to photograph and record.