Belt drive planer HP requirements

[1wkinsley]

Help! I just picked up an old belt drive 3 sided planer/matcher. The main cutter head is maybe 20"  the guy I bought it from said it would need 65 hp power plant but i see guys on YouTube with similar planers powering them with small gas engines or 15 - 20 hp tractors.  Does anyone have experience with these square head planers? Tell me how much power I need. Or explain why it would need 65 hp.

[Southside]

Well it should have zero HP given that it's a square head planer.  Seriously those things are man killers, thus why they have not been made in a long, long, time.  Yes, there are folks that run them, but for the money there are a lot better options out there.