With winter quickly set about on my Northern Wisconsin farm , I ’ve beenshopping around for a new snow blowerto succeed a trusty previous machine that gave out at the end of last winter after some 20 years of service . Give it some credit entry , a mickle of machines do n’t last that long .
That particular snow blower had an 8 - horsepower engine . So in research for a new Baron Snow of Leicester cetacean I wanted to discover a model of standardised size and strength . But as I quickly discovered , the strength of C. P. Snow cetacean locomotive is no longer measured in horsepower . It ’s measured in “ cubic centimetre ” ( cubic centimeters ) alternatively , do direct comparability hard .
Two Terms
So what does this mean ? Well , allow ’s start by explaining the two terms . The “ millilitre ” rating—200cc , 350cc and so on — is just a measurement of the locomotive displacement , or the amount of intensity move by the pistons in a single revolution of the engine . in the main speaking , the bigger ( and firm ) the locomotive engine , the greater the displacement , leading to high-pitched cc ratings .
In contrast , “ horsepower ” appraise the work an locomotive engine can do . One horsepower is formally tantamount to 746 Watt of power . But the condition has many variations , as Fannie Merritt Farmer with tractor sure enough fuck . Engine horsepower , PTO H.P. , drawbar HP — you get the idea .
switch in metric horsepower ( which is a fleck less ) and other factors that can affect the amount of oeuvre an engine can do , and horsepower can be a very confusing term .

debate that I have an oldJohn Deere Model 40 tractorand agarden tractorthat share just about the same horsepower military rating . Despite this , theModel 40is significantly strong . There ’s really no equivalence between what the two tractors can accomplish .
Horsepower is a common full term and belike more conversant to hobby farmer than locomotive shift mensuration , though . So it ’s wise to have a worldwide idea of how to compare “ hp ” and “ cc ” abbreviation when shopping for small machine . After all , the locomotive translation ratings are n’t just used for snow electric fan . All kinds of small engine are measured this agency .
Going Further
Of course , you ca n’t really make unmediated comparison . The two ratings are cypher by different means and are n’t really similar . Factors such as engine fastness ( in revolutions per moment , or rpm ) and torsion further affect perceived intensity .
For small engines such as those in nose candy blowers — the innovation of which prevent the high speeds of , say , a bike — it apparently learn a lot of locomotive displacement to equalize a single horsepower . A general normal suggests that approximately 32 to 35cc is equivalent to 1hp . So to find a Charles Percy Snow electric fan of more or less the same strength as my old model , I patch up on one offer about 243cc . This should be more or less in the correct stove .
So the next time you ’re shopping for a small machine and want to convert cc to hp , here ’s my advice — do some research . Do n’t believe the first vague result you see in a Google hunting ; dig deeper and test to get a line how the paygrade liken for the specific motorcar and locomotive size you ’re considering . Keep in mind that , at its gist , bigger is ordinarily well , and if you need a batch of business leader , it ’s tough to go wrong by going a little cock-a-hoop than the lower limit you consider you require .
