Horsepower pony or clydesdale horses

[Entropy455]

One beagle-power is equal to lifting 7 pounds, 1-foot, in one second. . . .

 

[Entropy455]

On a more serious note: one horsepower is lifting 33,000 pounds, one foot, in one minute. In rotational power, a 33,000 pound rotation about a circle (i.e. 2*pi radians) is where the 5252 is derived within the rotational horsepower equation (i.e. take 33,000, and divide it by 2*pi).

The original horsepower value, as defined by Watt, was very conservatively rated - for the purpose of selling more steam engines. . . If you worked a horse at one horsepower, it would likely die within an hour.

Small gasoline engines in the US are rated for peak horsepower (i.e. take rated power, and multiply by square-root of one-half, to get actual power). This is very irritating. Electric motors however are rated for actual RMS power. I still like the idea of beagle power (tough little dogs. . . .)

 

[Cogsy]

Where are we going? Perhaps this thread belongs in the "Break Room?"

My Two Cents:

I have "heard," "read," or whatever that this kind of discussion about HP, at least in the USA, has lead small engines (lawnmowers and the like) to now be sold with displacement as the main "power" rating rather than the old "2.5 HP @3600 RPM" type description. So, now the unscientific can argue about whether a rating in cc is better than the same displacement described as Cu. In. As well, the marketing crowd likes to say "3.500" rather than "3.5" because there's more numbers in the first statement.

It's been too long since I was in school, but I'm sure someone here can chime in: Is the description of power as stated in other measurement systems or in other parts of the world moving to watts or some other mathmatically-derived or carefully-defined units?

--ShopShoe

You're right, the break room is a better fit for this thread so I've moved it.

Here in Australia, cars are advertised in kW, although it's rarely mentioned at all, except for the ultra-high performance cars. Electric motors are always sold by kW rating. Small engines like fire-fighting pumps and the like are still sold in horsepower ratings though, and things like lawnmowers just have their displacement in cc's mentioned but no other power info at all.

 

[velocette]

Hi Dave
I believe your question has been answered in many roundabout ways that 1 Clydesdale = 1 Horse Power but you knew this all along.
In my distant past I had the pleasure and the pain of using a pair of Clydesdale Horses side by side and one in traces and one in heavy harness between the shafts.

Thanks lennardhme for the trip back down memory lane when Interweb and it's many experts and their biased opinions abound with myself included now did not exist.

 

[GrahamJTaylor49]

Now we come to the difference between "Horse Power", Brake Horse Power and Nominal Horse Power.
Nominal Horse Power was introduced by the makers of traction engines when Farmers or Hauliers wanted
to know how much work could the new fangled machines do compared to a horse. An "Alchin" or a "Fowler"
or "Marshall" were rated at 4-9 nominal horse power to give the country yokels an idea of just how much the traction
engine could actually do. So now i have thrown another "H.P." into the ring lets make something out of it.

 

[ARUP]

Funny thread! Now... let's steer it to 'torque'! lol
P.S.- Beagles are great!

 

[Cymro77]

FYI

This what 1 horsepower=1.5 ponypower.
Never found clydesdale horsepower

Dave

Dave,
Recorded 8,000 pounds pull single horse, 24,000 pounds in two horse hitch.

 

[Entropy455]

The early high-demand need for steam engines was for mining ore. Prior to steam engines you had teams of horses lifting ore-bucket from mineshafts.

Then comes the steam engine - where a 10 horsepower unit will lift 5500 pounds one foot per second, 24 hours a day, non-stop - an effort that would likely kill 10 horses, 100 times over. . . .

 

[goldstar31]

The early high-demand need for steam engines was for mining ore. Prior to steam engines you had teams of horses lifting ore-bucket from mineshafts.

Then comes the steam engine - where a 10 horsepower unit will lift 5500 pounds one foot per second, 24 hours a day, non-stop - an effort that would likely kill 10 horses, 100 times over. . . .

Of course James Watt was manufacturing steam engines precisely for that need. Of course, steam power was also need to pump water out of coal mine workings. I recall my father and uncle worked in a colliery that took all the underground water for what people knew as the Great Whinsill **** that formed the Roman Wall from
Carlisle to Wallsend on the River Tyne and which inevitably became the Farne Island and the Holy Island or Lindisfarne. Oddly, George Stephenson of Locomotive fame lived only yards from where to outfall of water was made into the river.

Naturally, there were lots of ponies living underground for 51 weeks a year pulling 'tubs' of coal to the coal shaft bottoms and taking the empty tubs 'in bye' driven often by boys of 12 or 13. A pony would stay as the boy's friend until he retired at 65.

So I did know a lot about ponies and as a small boy worked on the local farm during the war.
Somehow, I think that these seemingly large numbers of 'Clydesdales' is a bit exaggerated. I never saw one but at one point there was perhaps no more than 200 in total in the UK ans as such was a dying breed.
We are celebrating the Centenary of the Armistice of 1917 and at the end of the Great War, few horses were brought back from France and Belgium. They were simply slaughtered and the French still import worn out old nags and eat them.

We, that is the UK, simply ate anything which was edible in WW2. I recall eating whale meat in pies and I have no doubt that horses simply supplemented our meagre rations. I do recall that as a Goldstar that we virtually lived on Australian Jack rabbit and ships biscuits from lifeboats.

My experiences- others may have other experiences.

Norm

 

[lennardhme]

Hi Goldstar 31.
these seemingly large numbers of 'Clydesdales' is a bit exaggerated
Certainly not the case here in Oz; in the early 1900's more than 70,000 Clydesdales were recorded as working horses, plus no doubt as many more that were not. A high no. considering the human population at the time.
Clydies built this country [being mostly rural based in those days] & at present I an looking at a pic. of a team of 42 hauling the largest steam boiler in Australia at the time, over some very precarious dirt roads, up to the great gold mining town of Walhalla.
Clydies are very well regarded here; & 2 things will still draw a crowd..... a steam locomotive & a team of Clydesdales, of which we have a particularly famous brewery team.
I commiserate with your memories of rabbit. I still cant stand the things even now!
cheers.
Lennard.

 

[goldstar31]

Lennard,
I'm indebted to you as my knowledge of OZ is quite limited.
So I have a date to go over the Tasman in 2020 and probably stopovers in HK and 'Oz'.
I might actually see a Clydesdale in the flesh.

Cheers and Thanks

Norm

 

[lennardhme]

Norm, stay in touch, perhaps we can meet up.
We have a Clyddie about 1-5 k's down the road who clip clops past our place & my wife & I often go for a ride in their carriage. Can certainly arrange to get you up close & comfortable.
We live in the Strezlecki ranges [Victoria] & the scenery around here is rural & quite spectacular.
cheers from Lennard.

 

[goldstar31]

Thanks for what sounds a great idea.

Norm