Champion Airstation R-Series Horizontal Simplex Piston Air Compressor

Champion R-Series AirStation, 2 to 15 HP

An AirStation is a complete dry-air system on one skid: the Champion R-Series two-stage pump and motor, a horizontal ASME receiver, a mounted X-Series refrigerated dryer with its own pre-filter, a three-way bypass valve around the dryer, and a NEMA 1 control panel, all piped, wired and tested at the factory. You set it, connect power and connect your header. There is no separate dryer to find wall space for and no interconnecting pipe to buy.

Champion prices thirteen AirStation configurations in the August 2026 reciprocating book, from a 2 HP HR2-8 on an 80 gallon tank through a 15 HP HR15F-24 on a 240. All thirteen are listed here.

Why the mounted dryer matters more than it sounds

A piston compressor on a tank puts warm, wet air into your header. Everything downstream, meaning tools, cylinders, valves, blow guns and paint equipment, pays for that in rust and short component life. The usual fix is to buy a standalone dryer later, find somewhere to put it, and plumb it in. The AirStation does it at the factory for less than the separate pieces cost, and because the dryer is matched to the package CFM you don't end up with a dryer that is wrong for the machine.

The bypass valve is the part people appreciate two years in. If the dryer ever needs service you turn two valves and keep running on wet air instead of shutting the shop down.

Model selection chart

Capacity is shown at all three rated pressures because a compressor sized on its 80 PSIG figure will disappoint you at 175. Every model below is a simplex, single pump, on a horizontal tank.

Model	HP	Pump	RPM at 175 PSI	Tank	ACFM at 80	ACFM at 125	ACFM at 175	Mounted dryer	Ship wt
HR2-8	2	R10	461	80 gal	5.6	5.5	4.1	XCNC11	745 lb
HR3F-8	3	R10	780	80 gal	9.4	9.0	8.0	XCNC11	770 lb
HR3F-12	3	R10	780	120 gal	9.4	9.0	8.0	XCNC11	879 lb
HR5-8	5	R15	737	80 gal	21.6	21.0	17.0	XCNC25	780 lb
HR5-12	5	R15	737	120 gal	21.6	21.0	17.0	XCNC25	889 lb
HR7F-8	7.5	R15	949	80 gal	23.7	23.0	22.3	XCNC32	855 lb
HR7F-12	7.5	R15	949	120 gal	23.7	23.0	22.3	XCNC32	964 lb
HR7-12	7.5	R30	570	120 gal	31.9	28.7	25.6	XCNC32	1080 lb
HR7-24	7.5	R30	570	240 gal	31.9	28.7	25.6	XCNC32	1230 lb
HR10-12	10	R30	718	120 gal	38.7	34.7	33.8	XCNC42	1071 lb
HR10-24	10	R30	718	240 gal	38.7	34.7	33.8	XCNC42	1221 lb
HR15F-12	15	R30	1034	120 gal	50.3	49.9	48.7	XCNC64	1178 lb
HR15F-24	15	R30	1034	240 gal	50.3	49.9	48.7	XCNC64	1328 lb

The two different 7.5 HP machines

This trips people up, so read it before you order a 7.5 HP on a 120 gallon tank. There are two of them and they are not the same compressor.

The HR7F-12 runs an R15 pump at 949 RPM and gives 22.3 ACFM at 175 PSIG. The HR7-12 runs the larger R30 pump at a much slower 570 RPM and gives 25.6 ACFM at the same pressure. The HR7-12 costs more and is the one to buy if the machine will run hard: a bigger pump turning slowly lasts longer and runs cooler than a smaller pump turning fast. The HR7F-12 is the lighter-duty, lower-cost option. They also take different service parts, so get the model number right when you order filters and valves.

Standard on every AirStation

• Mounted NEMA 1 control panel with control voltage transformer
• Start/stop pressure switch control
• ASME coded horizontal receiver, California Code compliant
• 1800 RPM motor
• Intake filter and silencer
• Enclosed belt guard
• Loadless starting, so the pump always starts unloaded
• Air cooled aftercooler
• Mounted X-Series refrigerated dryer, sized to the package CFM
• X-Series pre-filter
• Three-way dryer bypass valve
• Hour meter, test-off-auto switch and NEMA 1/4 panel mounting

Note that the air cooled aftercooler is included here. On the standard non-AirStation R-Series horizontal simplex it is a paid option, which is part of why the AirStation premium is smaller than the sticker difference suggests.

Voltage

Champion prices every AirStation the same across 115/208/230V single phase and 208/230/460/575V three phase, so voltage changes nothing on the invoice. It does change the machine, though, and it cannot be changed later without a motor swap. Confirm your incoming service before you order. We stock the five common combinations as separate variants above; 115V and 575V are available on request.

Options and adders

Every priced factory option for this range, including NEMA 4 panels, vinyl lined and galvanized tanks, TEFC motors, dual control, electric tank drain, low oil stop, high temp switch, vibration isolators and the premium extended warranty kit, is on the companion listing: Champion R-Series AirStation factory-installed options and adders. These are factory line items, so they have to go on the order with the compressor.

Two order-time deducts are not sold as line items because they subtract from the price. Ship Loose Controller takes off $190 on most models and $310 on the 15 HP. Less Motor takes off $260 to $790 depending on model, for customers supplying their own. Ask for either when you order.

A full NEMA 4 machine needs three things together: the NEMA 4 control panel, the NEMA 4 electrical and pressure switch, and a TEFC motor. The panel alone is not enough. On the HR10 and HR15F models the TEFC motor is three phase only.

Where these are a good fit

Body shops and paint booths, where water in the line ruins the job. Machine shops running air gauging or air bearings. Dental and lab air that needs to be dry. Packaging lines with pneumatic valves. Any shop that has outgrown a bare tank-mount compressor and is about to buy a standalone dryer anyway, which is the moment the AirStation math usually works out.

If you need more than about 50 CFM continuously, stop looking at pistons and look at a rotary screw. A 15 HP AirStation at 48.7 CFM is the top of this range and it is not built for 100 percent duty. Our rotary screw range starts where this one ends.

Service, parts and lubricant

R-Series pumps are splash lubricated with multi-finned cast iron cylinders, an integral cylinder and head to cut head gasket failures, disc-type valves serviceable by pulling the manifolds, tapered roller main bearings and a balanced crankshaft. They are genuinely rebuildable, which is the argument for a piston compressor in the first place. We stock Champion ChampLub mineral, synthetic and food grade oils, intake filters, valve kits and gaskets. Food grade oil can also be factory filled: it is on the options listing.

Freight and lead time

Shipping weights above are Champion's published estimates per configuration, from the August 2026 price book, and they run from 745 lb to 1,328 lb. These ship on a pallet by LTL freight from Princeton, Illinois and need a dock or a lift gate. A domestic wood crate is available as an option if the machine is going somewhere rough or into storage. Call us for a freight quote to your zip and for current factory lead time.

One printing oddity worth knowing: Champion's book lists the HR10-12 at 1,071 lb and the HR7-12 at 1,080 lb, so the 10 HP shows up nine pounds lighter than the 7.5 HP on the identical tank and pump. The same inversion appears on the 240 gallon pair. We have published the figures as printed and asked the factory to check them. Either way the freight class does not change.

Buying from Warthog

We are an authorized Champion Pneumatic distributor, not a drop-ship reseller, and we sell these every week. The prices above are built from the current August 15, 2026 Champion list, not a stale sheet. If you tell us your CFM, your pressure, your duty cycle and your incoming voltage we will tell you which of these thirteen is right, and we will tell you when the honest answer is a rotary screw or a smaller machine instead.