At first glance, fractional horsepower appears fairly simple. Its name also serves as its definition: it’s a fraction of one horsepower, or rather, 746 Watts (1 hp) or below. However, in the fractional horsepower electric motor industry, “less than one horsepower” covers a wider range than most manufacturers are capable of building. Because of this, fractional horsepower motors are typically small enough to carry, but too big to fit into the average pocket—think about conveyors rolling out bacon in a factory, about blenders mixing your favorite smoothie after a morning jog or about floor scrubbers removing dirt tracks left behind from various tennis shoes and work boots.

Fractional horsepower motors are small enough to carry, but too big to fit into the average pocket.

In addition, smaller motors, such as those used in a kindergartner’s cartoon-themed electric toothbrush or in the neighbor boy’s remote control car, are also considered fractional horsepower but fall into the further subcategory of “sub-fractional” or “micro motors.”

The majority of Groschopp’s motors fall within the Fractional hp category, with a particular specialization in mid- to large-sized fractional horsepower AC motors and small- to mid-sized for DC and BLDC options. Groschopp’s Universal motors have considerably larger ranges and consequently cover a vast spectrum of sizes.

HP ranges for Groschopp’s standard AC, DC, Brushless DC, and Universal motors:

AC – 1/20 – 1 hp

DC – 1/100 – ½ hp

Brushless – 1/35 – ½ hp

Universal – ¼ – 2 ½ hp

As this list indicates, however, to classify Groschopp as strictly a “fractional horsepower” manufacturer would be a misnomer. Our Universal motor line has capabilities of reaching 2 ½ hp, which exceeds our standard horsepower range of 1/100 to 1 hp. Additional modifications to these numbers are also possible, as our engineers can work with customers to determine if we are capable of reaching different horsepower requirements when necessary. For better performance at lower speeds, for example, fractional horsepower motors can be paired with various gearhead styles or control devices.