# Ft. Lbs. & CC equivalents



## kok328 (May 1, 2008)

I am in the process of shopping for a new lawnmower.
Now I know about all the options out there and am used to comparing engines based on horsepower but, got a bit of a surprise by the latest labeling on engines.

They are advertised by foot pounds of torque and CC's.
How do these two ratings interpret into horsepower.
I realize the larger the number for both ft. lbs. & cc's, the bigger the engine but, don't know what the ft. lbs. & cc's are for a  4hp, 5hp, etc... engine.

Can anyone translate ft. lbs. &/or cc's into hp?


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## inspectorD (May 2, 2008)

This is where it gets confusing, you cant measure the two together. Its like asking how many gallons of water does it take to walk 20 miles in. There are to many variables and a bunch of math involved.

Basics to try to convert is like 18 CC's per horse power is a realistic best guess from what I have heard . The difference comes because Cubic centimeters are a measure of volume, or the size of a piston - horsepower is a measure of work done over a period of time. However you could convert horsepower to KW with a bunch of equasions, but this won't help your cause. 
I'm here to confuse ...so anyone else?


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## CraigFL (May 2, 2008)

If you frequently forget conversion factors like I do, you can go here:

www.onlineconversion.com

D is right in that you can't get HP from just torque or CCs. If you want to get some comparisons on engine sizes and HP, you could go to the Briggs & Stratton website sine these are common engines used on lawnmowers. But, there are probably much more important things to consider when buying one.  I, myself would be most concerned about overall reliability of the unit plus price.


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## inspectorD (May 2, 2008)

Great site Craig...that should be on a sticky thread.

I like Honda motors, they have a great track record.


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## kok328 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for the info.

Unfortunately, price is dictating my selection.

All I wanted was a self propelled, fwd, mulch/bagger, min. 21" & 5hp.

I had to settle for 21" not 22" and got a single speed not variable speed.

It's a 190CC (whatever that means in terms of hp) and it's a Briggs&Stratton engine.


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## inspectorD (May 4, 2008)

Looks like your ready for another mowin season. 
Just get rid of the grass and plant vegetables. They need no mowing, look good when they are ripe and ready, and save lots of money on groceries. 
Or keep mowin the lawn to keep up with the Jones's.


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