Champion PL-Series Pressure-Lubricated Simplex Piston Air Compressor

The PL-Series is Champion's pressure lubricated reciprocating range. Where a splash lubricated pump throws oil around the crankcase with a dipper, these run a full pressure oil system with a pump, a filter and a gauge on the crankcase, the same idea as the engine in a truck. That is the entire reason this family exists and the reason it costs more than the R-Series sitting next to it in the same price book.

What you get for the money is a pump that tolerates continuous running and high discharge pressure. Champion publishes capacity for every model twice, once at 175 PSIG and again at 250 PSIG, which is unusual and tells you where these are meant to work. The range runs 5 through 30 horsepower as a buyable configuration, on four pump frames: PL15, PL30, PL40 and PL70.

Choosing a model

Pick the pump and horsepower from the CFM you need, then pick the receiver. Two things trip people up. First, 7.5 HP and 15 HP each appear twice in this book on two different pumps, and the two are not interchangeable: a 7.5 HP on the PL15 frame gives 22.1 ACFM at 175 PSIG while a 7.5 HP on the PL30 frame gives 25.8, and the service parts are different. The model number is what tells them apart, so order by model number, not by horsepower. Second, the letter at the front is the mounting. B is base mount with no receiver, V is a vertical tank and H is a horizontal tank.

Model	HP	Pump	Mounting	Receiver	Pump RPM	ACFM @ 175 PSIG	ACFM @ 250 PSIG	Est. ship weight	Aug 2026 list
BPL3	3	PL15	Base mount	No receiver	440	9.7	8.0	230	Consult factory
VPL3-6	3	PL15	Vertical tank	60 gal	440	9.7	8.0	509	Consult factory
VPL3-8	3	PL15	Vertical tank	80 gal	440	9.7	8.0	574	Consult factory
VPL3-12	3	PL15	Vertical tank	120 gal	440	9.7	8.0	746	Consult factory
HPL3-3	3	PL15	Horizontal tank	30 gal	440	9.7	8.0	416	Consult factory
HPL3-6	3	PL15	Horizontal tank	60 gal	440	9.7	8.0	509	Consult factory
HPL3-8	3	PL15	Horizontal tank	80 gal	440	9.7	8.0	574	Consult factory
HPL3-12	3	PL15	Horizontal tank	120 gal	440	9.7	8.0	746	Consult factory
BPL5	5	PL15	Base mount	No receiver	705	16.2	13.6	280	$9,620
VPL5-6	5	PL15	Vertical tank	60 gal	705	16.2	13.6	525	$11,070
VPL5-8	5	PL15	Vertical tank	80 gal	705	16.2	13.6	590	$11,530
VPL5-12	5	PL15	Vertical tank	120 gal	705	16.2	13.6	762	$12,600
HPL5-3	5	PL15	Horizontal tank	30 gal	705	16.2	13.6	432	$10,950
HPL5-6	5	PL15	Horizontal tank	60 gal	705	16.2	13.6	525	$11,070
HPL5-8	5	PL15	Horizontal tank	80 gal	705	16.2	13.6	590	$11,530
HPL5-12	5	PL15	Horizontal tank	120 gal	705	16.2	13.6	762	$12,600
BPL7F	7.5	PL15	Base mount	No receiver	990	22.1	18.2	310	$10,010
VPL7F-8	7.5	PL15	Vertical tank	80 gal	990	22.1	21.3	630	$11,920
VPL7F-12	7.5	PL15	Vertical tank	120 gal	990	22.1	21.3	802	$12,990
HPL7F-8	7.5	PL15	Horizontal tank	80 gal	990	22.1	21.3	630	$11,920
HPL7F-12	7.5	PL15	Horizontal tank	120 gal	990	22.1	21.3	802	$12,990
BPL7	7.5	PL30	Base mount	No receiver	570	25.8	21.3	430	$15,430
VPL7-8S	7.5	PL30	Vertical tank	80 Squat gal	570	25.8	21.3	710	$17,230
VPL7-12	7.5	PL30	Vertical tank	120 gal	570	25.8	21.3	882	$18,310
HPL7-8	7.5	PL30	Horizontal tank	80 gal	570	25.8	21.3	763	$17,230
HPL7-12	7.5	PL30	Horizontal tank	120 gal	570	25.8	21.3	882	$18,310
HPL7-24	7.5	PL30	Horizontal tank	240 gal	570	25.8	21.3	1236	$20,020
BPL10	10	PL30	Base mount	No receiver	718	33.8	27.5	540	$15,630
VPL10-8S	10	PL30	Vertical tank	80 Squat gal	718	33.8	27.5	723	$17,420
VPL10-12	10	PL30	Vertical tank	120 gal	718	33.8	27.5	895	$18,490
HPL10-8	10	PL30	Horizontal tank	80 gal	718	33.8	27.5	776	$17,420
HPL10-12	10	PL30	Horizontal tank	120 gal	718	33.8	27.5	895	$18,490
HPL10-24	10	PL30	Horizontal tank	240 gal	718	33.8	27.5	1249	$20,180
BPL15F	15	PL30	Base mount	No receiver	1035	46.3	41.0	550	$16,800
VPL15F-12	15	PL30	Vertical tank	120 gal	1035	46.3	41.0	898	$19,520
HPL15F-12	15	PL30	Horizontal tank	120 gal	1035	46.3	41.0	1017	$19,520
HPL15F-24	15	PL30	Horizontal tank	240 gal	1035	46.3	41.0	1371	$21,230
BPL15	15	PL40	Base mount	No receiver	776	53.7	45.8	730	$21,320
HPL15-12	15	PL40	Horizontal tank	120 gal	776	53.7	45.8	1210	$23,940
HPL15-24	15	PL40	Horizontal tank	240 gal	776	53.7	45.8	1564	$25,660
BPL20	20	PL70	Base mount	No receiver	664	77.5	63.2	1000	$27,540
HPL20-12	20	PL70	Horizontal tank	120 gal	664	77.5	63.2	1517	$29,740
HPL20-24	20	PL70	Horizontal tank	240 gal	664	77.5	63.2	1871	$31,420
BPL25	25	PL70	Base mount	No receiver	776	90.1	76.8	1020	$28,799
HPL25-12	25	PL70	Horizontal tank	120 gal	776	90.1	76.8	1557	$30,652
HPL25-24	25	PL70	Horizontal tank	240 gal	776	90.1	76.8	1911	$32,347
BPL30	30	PL70	Base mount	No receiver	907	101.0	90.0	1060	$30,780
HPL30-12	30	PL70	Horizontal tank	120 gal	907	101.0	90.0	1597	$32,330
HPL30-24	30	PL70	Horizontal tank	240 gal	907	101.0	90.0	1951	$34,080

Models marked "Consult factory" are printed in the book without a list price and are covered further down.

If you need two pumps on one receiver, the duplex range is a separate listing: Champion PL-Series Duplex Pressure-Lubricated Piston Air Compressor.

What the configurations mean

• Base mount (B): pump, motor and control panel on a frame with no receiver. You are supplying the air receiver, or piping into one you already own. There is no ASME receiver in the package, and the start and stop control kit is an option rather than standard
• Vertical tank (V): the receiver stands on end. Same capacity, roughly a third of the floor area. The 80 gallon vertical on the PL30 and PL40 frames is a squat tank, shown in the chart as 80 Squat, which is shorter and wider than the standard vertical
• Horizontal tank (H): the long low layout most shops picture. Easier to service, worse on floor space

Voltage

5 and 7.5 HP units are available single phase or three phase at the same list price. From 10 HP up the range is three phase only. On the 20, 25 and 30 HP units the voltage genuinely changes the price, with 208 and 230 volt slightly higher than 460 and 575 volt, so each voltage is a separate choice above. Champion asks that you confirm voltage and phase at order entry, and we will confirm it with you before the order goes in.

Where these earn their keep

Machine shops and fabrication shops running intermittent demand. Anywhere the air is needed above 175 PSIG, which is most of what sends people to a pressure lubricated pump in the first place. Plants with a maintenance department that rebuilds its own pumps. Applications where a rotary screw would spend most of its life unloaded and burning power for nothing.

Specifications shared across the range

• Stages: two stage, pressure lubricated
• Pumps: PL15, PL30, PL40 and PL70, cast iron, with a full pressure oil system and a crankcase oil pressure gauge
• Rated pressure: capacity is published at 175 PSIG and again at 250 PSIG. The standard receiver is the 200 PSI ASME vessel. A 250 PSI receiver is a priced option on tank models. On the 5, 7.5 and 10 HP base mount units Champion prints it as no charge, and on the 15 HP and larger base mount units it is not offered at all, because there is no receiver in the package to upgrade
• Motors: 1800 RPM, ODP standard, TEFC optional
• Control panel: mounted NEMA 1 panel included in the package price, with hourmeter, on and off switch, test-off-auto switch and a control voltage transformer
• Control scheme: tank mounted simplex units are start and stop pressure switch control. Duplex units are start and stop with alternation. Base mount units take the start and stop control kit as an option
• Receiver: ASME coded on every tank model. Base mount units ship without a receiver
• Also standard: intake filter and silencer, enclosed belt guard, loadless starting, California Code compliant receivers
• Freight: prepaid on compressors when the order exceeds 400 pounds
• Order entry: configurator PL3-30-SIMPLEX-A

Champion does not publish dimensions, sound levels or a base warranty period for this family in the August 2026 price book, so we are not going to print numbers we cannot source. Ask us and we will get them from the factory in writing before you commit to a footprint.

Options fitted at the factory

Every PL-Series package is built to order, and the options below are priced adders applied at order entry rather than separate line items you buy later. Ask for a quote with the options you want and we will price the exact build.

• NEMA 4 control panel, and the NEMA 4 electrical and pressure switch package. Champion's own note is worth repeating: a NEMA 4 panel on its own does not make a NEMA 4 package. You need the panel, the N4 electrical and pressure switch, and a TEFC motor together
• Vinyl (epoxy) lined or galvanized coated receiver, priced by tank size
• 250 PSI receiver
• Massachusetts code fittings, which that state requires
• TEFC motor in place of the standard ODP, priced separately for single and three phase
• Air cooled aftercooler
• Food grade oil fill
• Low oil stop control, low oil pressure switch, high temp switch and electric tank drain. All four carry a NEMA 4 rating as the standard offering
• Vibration isolators, air filter maintenance indicator, domestic wood crate
• Premium extended warranty kit
• Base mount control package in NEMA 1 or NEMA 4, which is the start and stop control kit for base mounted units. It bundles the PRV, ball valve, pressure gauge, check valve and pressure switch

Deducts and no charge items

Three order time choices move the price down or not at all, so they are not sold as separate items:

• Ship loose controller deducts from the package price if you would rather mount the panel yourself
• Less motor deducts if you are supplying the motor
• California Code receiver is standard at no charge on every tank model
• 250 PSI receiver is printed as no charge on the BPL5, BPL7F, BPL7 and BPL10 base mount units. On BPL15F, BPL15, BPL20, BPL25 and BPL30 the book prints it as not available, since those packages carry no receiver

Also available by quote

The whole 3 HP band is printed in Champion's August 2026 book as "Consult Factory" with no list price, so we have not built it as a buyable configuration. The models are BPL3, VPL3-6, VPL3-8, VPL3-12, HPL3-3, HPL3-6, HPL3-8 and HPL3-12, all on the PL15 pump at 440 RPM, 9.7 ACFM at 175 PSIG and 8.0 ACFM at 250 PSIG. Ask us and we will get current pricing from the factory.

Parts and service

We stock Champion service parts and oil for these pumps. A pressure lubricated pump needs its oil and filter changed on schedule more than a splash pump does, because there is a pump and a gallery that will not forgive running low. The crankcase gauge on the front is there to be read.

Buying this from Warthog

We are an authorized Champion distributor, so these ship new with the full factory warranty and the serial number registered to you, not to us. Prices on this page are the current August 2026 Champion list with our discount applied, and they are what you pay. We do not quote a low number and add a freight surcharge at the end.

One honest note on fit. If you run three shifts and your demand is reasonably steady, a rotary screw in the same horsepower will usually cost you less in electricity than any piston machine, and it will not need the duty cycle watching that a reciprocating unit does. We sell both. If a screw is the better answer for your plant we will say so. Where a piston wins is intermittent demand, high pressure, and a maintenance crew who would rather rebuild a pump in house than call a technician.

Questions we actually get

Can I run one of these at 250 PSI out of the box? The pump is rated for it and Champion publishes the capacity, but the standard receiver is not a 250 PSI vessel. You need the 250 PSI receiver option, and on a base mount unit you need to supply a receiver rated for it. Tell us the pressure when you ask for a quote.

Why is the base mount more expensive than I expected? It is not a stripped down unit. It is the same pump, motor and panel without a tank, and the tank is a smaller share of the cost than most people assume. If you already have a receiver it still saves money. If you do not, buy the tank model.

What is the difference between this and the R-Series? Lubrication. The R-Series is splash lubricated and costs less. The PL-Series is pressure lubricated and handles continuous duty and high pressure better. If your air demand is light and intermittent, the R-Series is usually the right call and we will tell you so.

How long is the lead time? These are built to order, so it depends on the configuration and the option list. Ask and we will get a real date from the factory rather than guessing at one.