A Simpler Explanation Of The Measurement Of ONE HORSE POWER
One horsepower equals 550 foot pounds (pound feet) per second. In high school, in physics class, I generated 1 horsepower by running up a flight of stairs. :) Housted
Forum Discussion
PaulJ2 wrote:Back in time the mainstream small lawnmower-type engines were rated in "theoretical" horsepower, calculated from the engine design specs. The more industrial engines, like Kohler, gave actual horsepower ratings, so a 15 HP Kohler engine was noticably more powerful than a 15 HP B&S, Tecumseh, etc. engine. One description I read is:
I remember back when growing up many years ago on a farm, we had a power outage. My dad then connected up a 2hp gas engine to the 3/4hp electric jet pump. It would just barely run it at wide open throttle.
The rpm was near the same at 1 to 1 ratio, about 3450-3500 rpm.
“the theoretical horsepower than an engine could achieve under ideal laboratory conditions with all of the legally required accessories removed from the engine – such as the air filter and exhaust mechanism". Since then lawsuits have changed the HP ratings to be more honest. I'm reading that now B&S doesn't give HP ratings for their small engines, using the torque spec instead.
