Quincy 5103D12VCA23M QP MAX: 35 CFM at 175 PSI, 120-Gallon Vertical, 230V

Two numbers do the work on this listing: 35 CFM at 175 PSI. The pairing is the point. Air delivery quoted at a high pressure is worth considerably more than the same delivery quoted at a low one, because a compressor that can fill a tank to 175 PSI is storing substantially more air mass in the same 120 gallons than one topping out lower. You then regulate down to whatever your tools actually want. The reserve sits in the tank as pressure, and pressure in a tank is the least expensive, quietest, most instantly available form of compressed air there is.

The practical version: this is a 10 HP two-stage machine on a 120-gallon vertical receiver, wired for 230V three-phase power, and it is specified so that the tank does more of the work and the pump does less.

Why headroom above your working pressure matters

Most shop air tools are happy somewhere well below the maximum this unit can produce. So why buy the pressure? Because the gap between your cut-in pressure and your working pressure is your buffer. A compressor storing at 175 PSI and regulating down to a working pressure can absorb a long draw — a sander running for several minutes, two impact guns overlapping — without the regulated pressure at the tool ever moving. A machine with less headroom hits its cut-in point sooner, the pump starts, and if demand outruns it the pressure at the gun starts to sag. Everyone in the shop notices when that happens. Nobody notices when it does not, which is exactly what you are paying for.

Two stages, and the intercooler between them

Getting to 175 PSI efficiently is what the two-stage layout is for. The first stage does part of the compression, the air passes through a high-efficiency fin-and-tube intercooler and gives up its heat, and the second stage compresses cooler, denser air the rest of the way. Compressing hot air is wasteful and hard on valves; cooling in the middle avoids both problems. Cast-iron cylinders carry the wear surfaces, aluminum heads shed heat, and a mounted air-cooled aftercooler cools the discharge before it enters the receiver so that much of the moisture drops out at the machine.

Protection you should not have to think about

The pump has a spin-on oil filter, an oil sight glass and a low-oil shutoff, so the lubricant is filtered, the level can be checked at a glance, and the machine stops itself if the level falls far enough to endanger a bearing. A magnetic starter with thermal overload protection stands between the motor and a bad day on the supply. None of these are exciting features. They are the ones that determine whether the compressor is still running in ten years.

Will It Fit?

• Floor. 30" wide by 40" deep — the vertical receiver keeps the footprint small for the storage volume.
• Height. 75" overall. Measure the intended location, including anything overhead: ducting, lighting, door tracks, a mezzanine edge.
• Weight. 850 lbs on a small footprint. Level slab, and anchor it — tall machines and sloping shop floors do not mix.
• Power. 230V three-phase, with the amp draw listed by Quincy at 28 A. No breaker size is published; Quincy directs buyers to a certified electrician, which is the right answer for a permanently wired machine.
• Outlet. A 3/4" tank outlet. Size your shop main to suit the delivery rather than to suit the fitting you have in the drawer.

Site preparation, levelling and anchoring, the feed, the disconnect and the tie-in to your air system are the customer's responsibility.

Perfect For

• General repair shops running several air tools at once on 230V three-phase.
• Tire and suspension work, where sustained delivery at pressure is the whole job.
• Shops with limited floor area but adequate ceiling height.
• Anyone whose current compressor keeps them waiting for pressure to recover mid-task.

What's in the Box

Supplied as a complete package: two-stage cast-iron pump with aluminum heads, motor, 120-gallon vertical receiver, magnetic starter, mounted air-cooled aftercooler, high-efficiency fin-and-tube intercooler, spin-on oil filter, oil sight glass and low-oil shutoff. No air dryer is included. Anchors, piping, filtration, regulators, disconnect and electrical feed are not supplied. The packing list with the machine is the authority.

Specifications

Certification, Honestly

The certifications our record carries for this unit are the ASME pressure-vessel code on the receiver, and CSA among its marks. A vessel code stamp is a specific claim about the tank's construction and testing — meaningful, and the right thing to want on a receiver rated for 175 PSI — but it is not a blanket approval of the whole machine. Insurers, fleet operators and some local jurisdictions ask for particular listings on permanently installed equipment, and one mark does not stand in for another. If a specific listing is a condition of your cover or your inspection, verify it against this unit's data plate before you commit.

Before You Order — Please Confirm

• Lubrication. Published descriptions of the oil system differ: the package description and its feature list specify fully pressure lubricated; a specification field on this page records splash lubricated. If the lubrication system decides your purchase, confirm it with us in writing before ordering — we will get the answer straight from Quincy.
• The tank drain. Published information differs on whether an electronic automatic tank drain is fitted. On a vertical receiver, draining is not optional maintenance, so confirm this with us before you order if you are counting on an automatic one.
• Pump speed. No pump speed is quoted above. The figure appears in our data for some of this model's siblings but not for this build, and we will not move a number from one product to another.

Shipping and Delivery

This ships as freight within the lower 48 states, free of charge. It is an 850 lb palletised unit that stands tall, so arrange a forklift or a dock, or select terminal pickup and collect from the carrier. A residential delivery address attracts a residential fee, quoted at checkout with the freight. Before signing, inspect it properly — tank shell, feet, belt guard, gauges, cooler fins — and record any damage on the bill of lading in front of the driver. A clean signature is very difficult to walk back afterwards.

Warranty

Covered by a 1-year factory warranty, extending to a 3-year "No Bull" warranty under the conditions in Quincy's warranty handbook. The handbook is the governing document and the extended term carries requirements — read them rather than assume them.

One consistent piece of advice: contact us before anyone disassembles the pump. Warranty claims on units already taken apart are routinely declined, and that is a bad way to lose cover on a failure that was going to be paid.