I've cut the front tires 37 shore for my 8th onroad and upto 40 shore for sedan tires on my Integy with no issue. As with any lathe for best finish I cut off some small layers at a time. If I want to do a deep cut I sorta trim little by little otherwise yes the motor will bog. I wouldn't try this with the Hudy either. I'm just going to get the Hudy blade for my truer and that's that.