Divide the distance the object was moved in feet by the duration of the move in minutes to calculate the velocity. For example, if the object was moved 200 feet in 5 minutes, the velocity equals 200 divided by 5, which is 40. The velocity is 40 feet per minute.
Multiply the amount in horsepower by 33,000 to convert it to pounds per foot per minute, which is the amount of feet the given weight is moved in a single minute and is designated as lb.ft./ minute. For the example, if the horsepower is 10, multiplying 10 by 33,000 equals 330,000 lb.ft./minute.
Divide the converted horsepower by the velocity to calculate the thrust. For this example, 330,000 lb.ft/minute divided by 40 feet/minute equals 8,250 lbs. The thrust is 8,250 lbs.