Electric motor hp question

[Rojelio]

I know that there's a lot smarter guys than me on this forum and this one has me baffled. I was given a new motor, but, the horsepower rating is not like anything I've seen before.

Maybe there's an electrical engineer on here that could help.

It's a 230v 3ph 600rpm motor rated at 16 oz-ft horsepower. What in the world does that mean? As of yet, I haven't been able to find a direct conversion from oz-ft to actual horsepower. I suspect it's not much, but, this thing weighs about 25 lbs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Petrol & Powder]

A force and distance standard is a torque rating, not a horsepower rating.

Think foot - pounds.

[Rojelio]

My feeble mind still don't compute. It doesn't tell me if it has enough horsepower to run a #32 meat grinder.

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't know how much HP it takes to run a #32 meat grinder.

Take a picture of the identification plate on the motor and post it here.

[nun2kute]

I would question the 3 phase part. cant really judge your situation, but that would be a deal killer for me. I will follow in hope I might learn about the horsepower

[Rojelio]

Need a minimum of 1hp

Sorry about the size!

[Winger Ed.]

Not a electrician, but most places only have 2 phase power coming in.

I've heard a 3 phase device is somewhat cheaper to operate, and more efficient,
but you'll need a place that has 3 phase power coming in to be able to run it,
like a big commercial building.

You used to see big, low hp, low rpm motors in commercial use to run a big fan or ventilator 24/7.

[Rojelio]

I think I figured it out....if there's 746 amps in 1 horsepower, this motor is 1/746th of 1 horsepower. No bueno!

[Rojelio]

Wasn't worried about the 3 phase. You can run a 3 phase motor in 1 phase with a vfd. Can get a vfd for about 50 bucks and the motor was free so I wasn't worried about it. Motor is of no use, though, with the low power.

[Winger Ed.]

I think I figured it out....if there's 746 amps in 1 horsepower, this motor is 1/746th of 1 horsepower. No bueno!

A horse power is a horse power.
A motor that makes 1/746 of a hp would be about the size of a pencil eraser.
I think that amp number is how much current it draws.
Being one amp, you should be able to run 15 of them on the three legs of a 3 phase, 15 amp circuit breaker.

One hp should work OK on a meat grinder.
I'd put a pulley on it and try it out. Even with a fair amount of reduction, maybe 2 or 3 to one, it'll still turn the
impeller screw faster, and a lot longer than you can by hand.
Also, the decent size electric grinders you see are usually only 1/2 or 3/4 hp.


You commonly see big heavy low horsepower, low rpm motors turning big ventilator fans,
or low pressure-high volume drain pumps.
They're for long, continuous duty applications that don't need a lot of horse power or high rpm.

[M-Tecs]

I know nothing about power ratings of electrical motors, however, something is amiss. Three phrase 25 pound motors are generally significantly more powerful than 1/746th of 1 horsepower...………...

[nun2kute]

Wasn't worried about the 3 phase. You can run a 3 phase motor in 1 phase with a vfd. Can get a vfd for about 50 bucks and the motor was free so I wasn't worried about it. Motor is of no use, though, with the low power.

vfd = variable - ??frequency?? - ????????

[Rojelio]

vfd= variable frequency drive

[Minerat]

16 oz-ft = 1.00000000027 HP

230 volts 3 phase is usually what most think of as 220 service (I think).

[Maven]

"I think I figured it out....if there's 746 amps in 1 horsepower...."

rojello, That should be 746 watts per [mechanical] horsepower.

[Rojelio]

[Rojelio]

"I think I figured it out....if there's 746 amps in 1 horsepower...."

rojello, That should be 746 watts per [mechanical] horsepower.

My mistake...

[john.k]

Rating plate says 1lb/ft @600rpm.......=.114hp,....also says 1A@230v=230W,or about 1/3hp.,less internal losses.

[rancher1913]

no its not a one horse motor-- its a fractional horsepower motor, if you look up the 16oz-ft and do the math its not much of a motor, and given that it uses only 1 amp it has almost no strength at all. wonder what it was made for, obviously a very specific use.

[Drm50]

Power Co. can set up a transformer for your needs but 3phase in this neck of the woods is usually 440volts or 660 volts. Don't know of any 220 3phase. Normal domestic is 200amp single phase.