Horizon Fitness Treadmill Guide: Differences in the T Line

Hello everyone,
One of the things I see on message boards and blog comments is “What’s the difference between Horizon Treadmills?” Well, hopefully Google will pick up and rank this page well because I’m going to break down the differences between each of Horizon’s flagship treadmills for all those fitness enthusiasts who can’t tell a pulse grip from a polar transmitter.

Running Area
The running area on every Horizon Treadmill should be sufficient for most people. (Sorry Gilbert Grape, you can add Horizon Treadmills to the list of things eating you.) By most people I mean everyone up to 350 lbs. through 6’3”. (I’ll cover weight capacity in a little bit.) The Horizon T81 Treadmill is 50” long by 20”wide, every other model including the T82, T83, and T84 are built with a 55” long by 20” wide deck. I personally don’t think the extra 5” makes too much of a difference for most people, if you’re tall and have long legs you might feel a little confined, but other than that any Horizon Treadmill is going to be fine for most people.

Horizon T81 Treadmill Running Area: 50” x 20”
All other Horizon Treadmills: 55” x 20”

Weight Capacity
Each Horizon treadmill is rated for a different user weights. In all honesty, it’s probably not going to make too much of a difference unless you by the Horizon T81. If you’re about 50 lbs. heavier than the 275 lb. rating you’re probably going to experience shaking and instability. Shaky treadmills tend to wear out runners and walkers sooner than normal. If you’re heavy set you should probably go with a Horizon T82.

Horizon Treadmill Weight Capacities:
Horizon T81: 275 lbs.
Horizon T82: 300 lbs.
Horizon T83: 325 lbs.
Horizon T84: 350 lbs.

Horsepower
This is where we start to notice stark contrasts in performance. If you’re under 200 lbs. the Horizon T81 should be fine. Otherwise, I would try to go with a T83 or a T84. The more weight you put on your treadmill the harder the motor works to match the speed you’re trying to reach. Excess stress on your motor can lead to repair problems and if you really want you Horizon Fitness treadmill to last, don’t go below 2.5 horsepower.

Horizon T81 HP: 2.0
Horizon T82 HP: 2.25
Horizon T83 HP: 2.50
Horizon T84 HP: 3.0
There’s still lots more differences to talk about! Click here for Part 2 to my Guide to Horizon Fitness Treadmills.