Schulz V-Series 20120HWV80X Two-Stage Air Compressor, 460V Three Phase

This is the 460V build of the V-Series 20 HP two-stage machine, and the supply voltage is the reason to choose it. For the same mechanical work, a higher supply voltage draws proportionally less current. Less current means smaller conductors, a smaller disconnect and a smaller overcurrent device, and it means far less voltage drop over a long cable run — which is exactly the problem in a building where the panel is at one end and the compressor room is at the other. If your facility already distributes at 460V, ordering this version rather than a lower-voltage one is usually the cheaper installation before you have bought a single foot of conduit.

The machine itself is a 20 HP V-Series two-stage compressor on a 120-gallon horizontal receiver, rated to a maximum of 175 PSI, weighing 1180 lbs, with a factory-mounted and prewired magnetic starter.

Match the compressor to the service you already have

Compressed air projects go over budget on electrical work far more often than on the compressor. Converting or stepping voltage adds a transformer, a place to put it, and losses that run for the life of the installation. Buying the machine that matches the service in the building removes that whole line item.

Schulz does not publish an amp draw or a recommended breaker for this model and instead directs the installation to a certified electrician. We repeat that as written rather than estimating on behalf of a 20 HP motor, because at this size an approximate branch circuit is a fire risk and a warranty problem, not a rounding error. What we can tell you is that the starter is already mounted and wired, so the electrician's job is bringing a correctly sized supply to a machine that is otherwise finished.

Low speed is the durability argument

The V-Series pump is a cast iron two-stage block running at low RPM on a belt drive. Speed is what wears a compressor pump: every revolution is another cycle through the rings, the valves and the bearings, so a pump turning slower to make the same air simply accumulates less wear per hour of operation. It also runs quieter and cooler, and heat is the other thing that kills a cast iron block — it thins the oil, moves clearances and bakes deposits onto valve seats.

The V arrangement of the cylinders exists to help with that heat. Splaying them apart gives each cylinder its own path for cooling air rather than sitting in its neighbour's exhaust, and the fins are cut deeper than a light-duty pump's to put more metal in contact with moving air. Belt drive keeps the motor and the pump as separate serviceable assemblies, and the notched belts fitted as standard flex more easily around the sheaves and run cooler than plain V-belts. The drive is enclosed in a belt guard, which is a safety item first: an unguarded drive at waist height in a working shop is a hazard, not an inconvenience.

Internally the pump uses oversized main bearings, which carry the asymmetric crankshaft load of a two-stage pump at lower unit pressure, and Swedish steel valves, chosen because valve steel that holds its temper at working temperature is what keeps output from quietly declining over the years. Components are CNC machined for consistent clearances and powder coated to resist the corrosion that accumulates around a tank and its drain in a damp shop.

Will it fit, and how will you move it?

The unit is 80" long, 30" wide and 62" high, and it weighs 1180 lbs. Plan the placement before the truck arrives, because moving 1180 lbs after the fact is a project.

Length is usually the constraint: at 80" this is a machine that lives along a wall, not in a corner. Height at 62" clears most shelving, but leave room above the pump for cooling air and for hands. The floor should be level concrete — not a mezzanine deck and not asphalt — and getting the machine into position needs a forklift or a pallet jack on a sound surface.

Confirming that 460V three-phase service is available at your building, and having the branch circuit, disconnect and grounding installed to code by a licensed electrician, is the buyer's responsibility. Keep the intake away from grinding dust and paint overspray, and leave clear air around the pump for cooling.

Perfect for

• Industrial and light manufacturing facilities already distributing at 460V, where matching the service keeps the installation simple.
• Large shops with long cable runs from the panel to the compressor room, where voltage drop is the real design problem.
• Multi-bay service and fleet garages running continuous air across a full shift.
• Fabrication and welding operations where plasma cutting demands steady supply pressure.
• Facilities that keep equipment for a decade and buy on pump life rather than purchase price.

What is in the box

Taken from the manufacturer's feature list for this unit: 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 recorded as not included. Air piping, fittings, disconnects and electrical hookup materials are not supplied.

Specifications

Ratings, stated plainly

Schulz rates the safety valve and the air receiver to ASME, the pressure-vessel standard an inspector or an insurer normally looks for on shop air equipment, and that is the claim made for this machine. What it is not is a North American third-party electrical safety listing for the complete assembly. Those two things get conflated constantly in compressor marketing, and on a 460V industrial machine the distinction is the one a plant engineer will ask about. We hold no document showing such a listing for this model. If your insurer, your local authority or an internal facility standard requires a nationally recognized testing laboratory mark on the whole machine, establish that before you place the order rather than after the crate is on your floor.

Shipping and delivery

Freight shipment to the lower 48 states. At 1180 lbs, unloading needs equipment: a loading dock, a forklift, or collection from the carrier's local terminal. Delivery is curbside and unloading is the receiver's responsibility. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout. Pickup for Schulz equipment is available in Acworth, GA.

Inspect the shipment at the truck, before you sign anything. Look for punctures, crushed corners, banding that has shifted and oil on the pallet, and write every defect on the bill of lading while the driver is still there. Once a clean bill of lading is signed the carrier's position is that the machine arrived undamaged, and that is a hard position to argue with afterwards. Photograph the crate as it comes off.

Warranty and support

Schulz covers the unit for 1 Year and the pump for 2 Year. If a fault appears, open the claim before you open the pump — a dismantled compressor cannot be assessed in the state it failed, and that is the first thing a manufacturer looks for. Call, text or chat with us on 866-774-7743 before you take anything apart and we will tell you what evidence to capture.