# Troy Bilt Horse



## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

First, let me start off by saying hello to all, i am new to the forum and am in hopes of gaining some info. my wife and i have recently decided to expand our garden which gave me a reason to purchase a new to me tiller. after a lot of research and recognizing my budget, i shopped long and hard to find a used, older, troy bilt horse tiller. i finally found one that looked like it had been sitting in an older gentleman's garage for some time. it appeared to be in pretty good shape aside from the dry rotted tires that still hold air with ease. has great compression and tines look to be in good shape. when i looked at it i inspected the air filter which looked clean, checked the oil, opened the gas tank which was empty and supisingly clean with no rust or deposits, checked the gear oil, and felt good about firing it up. the man let me put some fresh gas in it and i fired it up after 4 good pulls. i felt good about the purchase and came home with my tiller. i bought a new air filter, plug, and changed the oil. i looked in the manual and it recomended "se 30 weight." the guy at the auto parts store told me the older engines that recommended 30 wt would require a non detergent oil and since the owners manual does not specify this i took his advice. i have since tilled with it for approximatly 3 hours and decided to download the manual for the kohler 7hp k161 that the tilled is eqipped with where it did state that a straight 30 wt DETERGENT oil is recommended. my question is did i harm my engine using that non detergent oil for those three hours and if so, what kind of damage could it cause. it ran fine and tilled great, but now i am worried i may have caused some damage. in addition, the serial # is 494051, any info would be great like age or anything else. thanks in advance
doc


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

Welcome to the forum,docsspot!
There shouldn't be any damage at all.Simply change the oil to the recommended oil,and it'll be fine.
The # you posted,makes me think it's around 1984 year. I'll check to verify,and let you know.


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## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

thanks, i was hoping to hear that. i shopped for three months to find this tiller, the last thing i wanted to do was mess it up with the first oil change. i shopped so long because a lot of the older horse tillers i looked at either looked like they had been used hard for their 25+ years, seriously neglected in that they were sitting in a field for many years, or in the 6, 7, 8, and even 900 $ price range. i normally would have waited until i found out what a manual said on something like this, but the gentleman at the auto parts store sounded like he knew what he was talking about. his thought was "the older small engines with no oil filter do not use oils with detergents because without a filter the cleaning agents cant be filtered." seems like i had heard something like this before, and he sounded like he really knew. i also belive i found the age, i think its production date is july 1980. i know this tiller is a vast imprvment from my old dynamark front tine that i think is from the 60s, that thing would have liked to kill me. thanks again,
doc


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## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

also,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICES. the lack of patriotism today is beyond upsetting.


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

You're very welcome,doc. Enjoy the forum.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

*Troy-bilt horse*

Hey docsspot,
I don't think that you came even close to causing any damage to your engine. 

There is really nothing wrong with non detergent oil, it's just old technology. I would, however, change the oil to a 30 wt detergent oil as it is just a better oil for keeping your engine clean. 

Does your unit have an oil filter? If so change that as well. It won't hurt to do an oil change anyways, seeing as the old tractor sat for so long. 

Better safe than sorry.
Have fun with you troy built horse!


Cheers
Bill


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## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

thanks bill,
i did change the oil before i used it, with the non detergent, which is what lead to all this. it does not have an oil filter, or i would have changed it as well. the not having the oil filter and the guy at the store telling me that because of no oli filter he recommended the non detergent oil, sounded like he knew. before i started it in the guys garage i took a tiny bit of oil from the resivoir and put it in the spark plug hole and pulled it slow a couple times to lube the piston wall, maybe a teaspoon or less. anyways, it appears to be in really nice shape and when i degrease it and really clean up the out side i will post some pics. thanks for all the help, i know i love it and it is a God send in comparison to my old front tine.
thanks again,
doc


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

*parts people*

I'd love to see some pics,doc!
As for the parts person...I tend to take what they say with a grain of salt.
Last year,I was replacing the shocks on a friend's Dodge ram 2wd ,and the counterman asked me 3TIMES,if it was a 4wd,and each time I said "NO,it's a 2wd".I got all 4 shocks,installed them,and as I test drove it,I went over some railroad tracks,(level/paved street),and ended up BOUNCING into oncoming traffic!!
After dodging the cars,I went to the shop,and called the store manager.I told him the #s,and he hit the roof. The other counterman had given me the shocks for the 4wd !
The manager exchanged the shocks...and REFUNDED my money!
I've seen the other counterman since then, but he won't wait on me!LOL!
It's always good to get a second opinion.


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## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

i will keep that in mind next time. its too bad that some people just dont get it doesnt make you stupid to not know something, it makes you stupid to no know and act like you do. in my experince these are the people that do too much talking, and not enough listening. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. i will defintly get some pics. i wanted to clean it up today, but it has been raining non-stop. hopefully tomorrow. aside from the paint knocked off the tines, it looks to be in too good of shape for an 80s model. my guess is the gentleman i bought this from had no shortage of money, bought the best for the time period, and did little gardening or a very small garden. everything in his garage looked to be top shelf, well maintained, and neatly organized. based off all that i feel like i hit the jack pot when i saw it, especially when i saw it was the horse with the kohler engine. no cut to B&S, but i do feel kohler is a better product. the only thing that would have been better is if it was the 8hp kohler instead of the 7hp. oh well. i was pleased to see it had the brush guard, would have bought it reguardless, but defintly a plus.
doc


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## DSHinNC (Apr 11, 2013)

Hello. Yesterday, I just purchased an older Troy Bilt Horse tiller. I would like to know what year it was made, as well as which gear/transmission oil and engine oil is recommended. I am assuming 30 wt on the engine oil, but really need to know the transmission part. Also, the serial number is 475437, so can anyone help with this, and tell me what year this tiller was made?

BTW, I should say that the original 8 hp Kohler engine is no longer on it, and it has a relatively new Honda 6.5 HP motor. So, is 30 wt correct engine oil?


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## docsspot (Apr 21, 2012)

*congrats*

congrats on the purchase, you will be happy. i have no regrets with my purchase, it has been great. does everything i need it to and more, plainly put, it is a BEAST. just for comparison, my dad bought a brand new cub cadet rear tine last year with the 190 cc honda, my old troy bilt is much more stable, and i imagine it will hold up better; just feels more sturdy. with reguards to your gear oil, i am no mechanic and not knowing exactly what you have i dont want to speculate, but when i bought mine i did down load on manuals to a few different models. i will attach those manuals, and i think all the garden way horse tillers take the same gear oil, but just use the manual that goes with yours. i am sure someone on here will be more knowledgable, but the manuals should do it for you. one thing is for sure, YOU WILL BE HAPPY. just let the tiller do the work, it is a horse and it will drag you like one if you get in a hurry, even if you are 21. best advice, put it in low speed and dont dig to deep in new ground. once the ground is established, you will be able to do your garden every year with eaaaassseee. i broke ground two days ago to gets some horse manure in the ground before i plant, i do a garden that is about 25 x 60, i will measure to morrow to let you know for sure, but i tilled it up pretty good in about 30 minutes, that right, 30 minutes. anyways, hope this helps,
doc


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## jet1959mo (Jul 4, 2013)

I just joined this forum today and was reading your post. I know this is old but see you never got any info for the Horse. Well, your in luck if you haven't found any info yet as I have some info for you. Your serial will fall anywhere between.
DATE SERIAL NUMBER
Apr - 1962 101
Apr - 1963 372
Apr - 1964 721
Apr - 1965 1132
Apr - 1966 1526
Oct - 1966 1825
Apr - 1967 2221 Trojan Horse production ceased with serial #2712
Jul - 1967 2713
Oct - 1967 2912
Jan - 1968 3433
Apr - 1968 4060
Jul - 1968 4663
Oct - 1968 5359
Jan - 1969 5993
Apr - 1969 6650
Jul - 1969 7556
Oct - 1969 8480
Jan - 1970 9513
Apr - 1970 10839
Jul - 1970 12501
Oct - 1970 14189
Jan - 1971 16108
Apr - 1971 18428
Jul - 1971 21840
Oct - 1971 24540
Jan - 1972 28528
Apr - 1972 32140
Jul - 1972 38000
Oct - 1972 42000
Jan - 1973 49821
Feb - 1973 51417
Mar - 1973 53530
Apr - 1973 56017
HORSE SERIAL NUMBERS
COMMENTS/REMARKS
Trojan Horse - 4.5 HP, all stud tires, and cast iron spoke wheels
Garden Way Manufacturing Co. formed and began production of the Horse I,
two speed, two belt, 6 HP Tecumseh engine.
Bar tread tires and cast iron hubs optional before Serial #31040. 7" cast spoke
wheel changed to 8" steel wheels with Serial #31456.
May - 1973 58533
Jun - 1973 61361
Jul - 1973 63881
Sep - 1973 67867
Oct - 1973 70421
Nov - 1973 74232
Dec - 1973 77834
Jan - 1974 80945
Feb - 1974 84721
Mar - 1974 88708
Apr - 1974 93038
May - 1974 97244
Jun - 1974 101527
Jul - 1974 105491
Aug - 1974 108388
Sep - 1974 112373
Oct - 1974 116909
Nov - 1974 121972
Dec - 1974 126927
Jan - 1975 131034
Feb - 1975 136006
Mar - 1975 141231
Apr - 1975 146981
May - 1975 153066
Jun - 1975 158433
Jul - 1975 163222
Aug - 1975 166417
Sep - 1975 171230
Oct - 1975 176853
Nov - 1975 182749
Dec - 1975 187490
Jan - 1976 193030
Feb - 1976 198420
Mar - 1976 203735
Apr - 1976 210574
May - 1976 217266
Jun - 1976 223064
Jul - 1976 228669
Aug - 1976 229790
Sep - 1976 235432
Oct - 1976 240369
Nov - 1976 245622
Dec - 1976 250148
Reverse disc mount changed to single bolt with large washer from three Allen
head screws.
Jan - 1977 254282
Feb - 1977 258957
Mar - 1977 262948
Apr - 1977 267597
May - 1977 271446
Jun - 1977 274882
Jul - 1977 278612
Aug - 1977 280141
Sep - 1977 284743
Oct - 1977 289375
Nov - 1977 294577
Dec - 1977 299725
Jan - 1978 304562
Feb - 1978 309976
Feb - 1978 314150
Feb - 1978 314151 Begin Horse II production. Four speed, one belt, 6 HP Tecumseh.
Mar - 1978 314320
Mar - 1978 315296
Apr - 1978 320330
May - 1978 325435
Jun - 1978 331138
Jul - 1978 336870
Aug - 1978 338749
Sep - 1978 345189
Oct - 1978 350985
Nov - 1978 357514
Dec - 1978 363052
Jan - 1979 368621
Feb - 1979 375440
Mar - 1979 380828
Apr - 1979 388355
May - 1979 394015
Jun - 1979 400854
Jul - 1979 406077
Aug - 1979 409378
Sep - 1979 416629
Oct - 1979 422959
Nov - 1979 430460
Dec - 1979 435848
Jan - 1980 439736
Feb - 1980 446898
Mar - 1980 453023
Apr - 1980 459525
Last Horse I produced. Total production 311,437 units.
Begin production with 7 HP Kohler engine available.
May - 1980 467761
Jun - 1980 474363
Jul - 1980 480283
Aug - 1980 484627
Sep - 1980 491122
Oct - 1980 498098
Nov - 1980 505891
Dec - 1980 511381
Jan - 1981 518348
Feb - 1981 525202
Mar - 1981 531211
Apr - 1981 539361
May - 1981 546751
Jun - 1981 552154
Jul - 1981 559140
Aug - 1981 563747
Sep - 1981 569130
Oct - 1981 574187
Nov - 1981 579458
Dec - 1981 584797
Jan - 1982 590135
Feb - 1982 594649 February 27, 1982, Lyman Wood left Troy-Bilt.
Mar - 1982 599434
Apr - 1982 606277
May - 1982 612944
Jun - 1982 617088
Jul - 1982 622295
Aug - 1982 626257
Sep - 1982 629618
Sep - 1982 634138 September 15, 1982, Last Horse II produced.
Sep - 1982 640000
Oct - 1982 640099
Nov - 1982 642381
Dec - 1982 649518
Jan - 1983 650220
Feb - 1983 654743
Mar - 1983 660705
Apr - 1983 665117
May - 1983 670891
Jun - 1983 674427
Jul - 1983 678407
Aug - 1983 681698
Sep - 1983 685462
January 28, 1982, Dean Leith becomes Company President
Horse III PTO Tine Clutch begins production with 6 HP Tecumseh, 7 HP Kohler,
and 8 HP Briggs and Stratton engine options.
Oct - 1983 688574
Nov - 1983 692962
Dec - 1983 697866
Jan - 1984 702873
Feb - 1984 707715
Mar - 1984 712492
Apr - 1984 719751
May - 1984 725255
Jun - 1984 730791
Jul - 1984 735958
Aug - 1984 740247
Sep - 1984 746020
Oct - 1984 749814
Nov - 1984 754103
Dec - 1984 759889
Jan - 1985 762559
Feb - 1985 765766
Mar - 1985 772021
Apr - 1985 778419
May - 1985 782176
Jun - 1985 787776
Jul - 1985 791185
Aug - 1985 794581
Sep - 1985 797525
Oct - 1985 800185
Nov - 1985 803053
Dec - 1985 805145
Jan - 1986 806595
Feb - 1986 810470
Mar - 1986 814811
Apr - 1986 819802
May - 1986 824527
Jun - 1986 828042
Jul - 1986 830648
Aug - 1986 832923
Sep - 1986 832923
Oct - 1986 835437
Nov - 1986 837628
Dec - 1986 838827
Jan - 1987 841756
Feb - 1987 845342
Mar - 1987 847287
Apr - 1987 849978
May - 1987 855053
Jun - 1987 855639
Jun - 1987 855697
Jun - 1987 856107
Jun - 1987 856127
Jun - 1987 857306
Jul - 1987 857307 First O.P.C. production.
Aug - 1987 858609
Sep - 1987 859652
Oct - 1987 860380
Nov - 1987 861823
Dec - 1987 865489
Jan - 1988 866039
Feb - 1988 870240
Mar - 1988 872310
Apr - 1988 876018
May - 1988 881723
Jun - 1988 882966
Jul - 1988 884637
Sep - 1988 886504
Oct - 1988 888299
Nov - 1988 890115
Dec - 1988 892915
Jan - 1989 895069
Feb - 1989 897842
Mar - 1989 901396
Apr - 1989 903808
May - 1989 905524
Jun - 1989 00906827
Jul - 1989 00907732
Aug - 1989 00908629
Sep - 1989 00910812
Oct - 1989 00912139
Nov - 1989 00913963
Dec - 1989 00918299
Jan - 1990 00919667
Feb - 1990 00922104
Mar - 1990 00923346 Graphic models start at 00923347
Apr - 1990 00926914
May - 1990 00929326
Jun - 1990 00931877
Jul - 1990 00933944
Aug - 1990 00934693
Sep - 1990 00936672
8 HP Kohler engine replaced 8 HP Briggs and Stratton
Last Horse III produced. Total Horse III production 217,306 units.
Test Run of first Operator Presence Controls (O.P.C.)
Oct - 1990 00937563
Nov - 1990 00938904
Dec - 1990 00940749
Jan - 1991 00942768
Feb - 1991 00942768
Feb - 1991 00944684 - 00944858 International
Mar - 1991 00946753
Apr - 1991 00948616
May - 1991 00950330
May - 1991 D0000001 - D0000523 Black 25th Anniversary Edition
Jun - 1991 D0000524 - D0001998 Black 25th Anniversary Edition
Jul - 1991 00953276
Sep - 1991 00955222
Oct - 1991 00958067
Oct - 1991 00944858 - 00956555 International
Nov - 1991 00959797 7 HP Electric Start
Nov - 1991 00959842 7 HP Pull Start
Nov - 1991 12058100564 8 HP Pull Start New Serial Number Format
Nov - 1991 00959077 8 HP Pull Start
Nov - 1991 12059100735 8 HP Electric Start
Nov - 1991 00959138 8 HP Electric Start
Dec - 1991 120560100385 7 HP Pull Start
Dec - 1991 120570100334 7 HP Electric Start
Dec - 1991 120580101065 8 HP Pull Start
Dec - 1991 120590100940 8 HP Electric Start
Dec - 1991 120510100100 8 HP Pull Start Briggs & Stratton International
Jan - 1992 120560100750 7 HP Pull Start
Jan - 1992 120570100940 7 HP Electric Start
Jan - 1992 120590101245 8 HP Electric Start
Jan - 1992 120510100154 8 HP Pull Start Briggs & Stratton International
Feb - 1992 120580200399 8 HP Pull Start
Feb - 1992 120560200409 7 HP Pull Start
Feb - 1992 120550100134 8 HP Pull Start Made for Sears
Feb - 1992 120590200499 8 HP Electric Start
Feb - 1992 120510100314 8 HP Pull Start Briggs & Stratton International
Mar - 1992 120560200699 7 HP Pull Start
Mar - 1992 120570200354 7 HP Electric Start
Mar - 1992 120580200993 8 HP Pull Start
Mar - 1992 120550100179 8 HP Pull Start Made for Sears
Mar - 1992 120590200724 8 HP Electric Start
Apr - 1992 120560300422 7 HP Pull Start
Apr - 1992 120570300204 7 HP Electric Start
Apr - 1992 120580300455 8 HP Pull Start
Apr - 1992 120590300363 8 HP Electric Start
May - 1992 120580301000 8 HP Pull Start
May - 1992 120590300958 8 HP Electric Start
May - 1992 120560301143 7 HP Pull Start
May - 1992 120570300455 7 HP Electric Start
Jun - 1992 120580301590 8 HP Pull Start
Jun - 1992 120590301768 8 HP Electric Start
Jun - 1992 120560301888 7 HP Pull Start
Jun - 1992 120570300824 7 HP Electric Start
Jul - 1992 120580302060 8 HP Pull Start
Jul - 1992 120590302206 8 HP Electric Start
Jul - 1992 120510200134 8 HP Pull Start Briggs & Stratton International
Jul - 1992 120560302160 7 HP Pull Start
Jul - 1992 120570300894 7 HP Electric Start
Aug - 1992 120580302460 8 HP Pull Start
Aug - 1992 120590302585 8 HP Electric Start
Aug - 1992 120560302455 7 HP Pull Start
Aug - 1992 120570300984 7 HP Electric Start
Sep - 1992 120580303084 8 HP Pull Start
Sep - 1992 120590303000 8 HP Electric Start
Sep - 1992 12060302940 7 HP Pull Start
Sep - 1992 120570301243 7 HP Electric Start
Oct - 1992 120580303518 8 HP Pull Start
Oct - 1992 120590303260 8 HP Electric Start
Oct - 1992 120560303552 7 HP Pull Start
Oct - 1992 120570301532 7 HP Electric Start
Nov - 1992 120580303769 8 HP Pull Start
Nov - 1992 120590303520 8 HP Electric Start
Nov - 1992 120510200159 8 HP Pull Start Briggs & Stratton International
Nov - 1992 120560303787 7 HP Pull Start
Dec - 1992 120580303995 8 HP Pull Start
Dec - 1992 120590303848 8 HP Electric Start
Dec - 1992 120560304039 7 HP Pull Start
Dec - 1992 120570301640 7 HP Electric Start
Jul - 1976 P10001
Jan - 1977 P12184
Jul - 1977 P17239
Jan - 1978 P21736
Jul - 1978 P27504
Jan - 1979 P33557
Jul - 1979 P40287
Jan - 1980 P48773
Jul - 1980 P58906
Jan - 1981 P68034
Jul - 1981 P80423
Jan - 1982 P89466
May - 1982 S101843 Pony III
Jul - 1982 S105606
Jan - 1983 S117319
Jul - 1983 S129028
Jun - 1981 M1001
Jan - 1982 M1378
Jul - 1982 M8204 Junior II
Jan - 1983 M17012
Jul - 1983 M25639
Information from many owners
REFERENCES
The Rototiller in America by Donald A Jones, Pgs 58 & 59
The Lyman P. Wood Story by Roger Griffith, In Brief Press, Charlotte, VT
Gardening Beyond the Plow by Dean Leith Jr, 1980, Garden Way Publications, Inc.
How To Do Wonders With A Rototiller by Ed Robinson
Personal Files of Bill Robinson
Records of Kent Gross
PONY SERIAL NUMBERS
JUNIOR SERIAL NUMBERS


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## jet1959mo (Jul 4, 2013)

Me myself, bought one from a friend for $75. I cleaned the tank, replaced the filter and hoses and put the new E3 lifetime spark plug in mine and get first pull starts.


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## hotrod351 (Jul 8, 2015)

i just picked this PTO up for $250.00 plus some roofing work on a shed. been sitting inside the shed for years, owner bough it new in 1991. gave me the owners manual, parts catalog and engine operating and maintenance instructions. ordered $40.00, carb gaskets, emulsion tube, oring, nozzle and shutoff valve. actually had it fire by putting a little gas in the spark plug hole.


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## daddycute (Jan 14, 2017)

I love troy bilt brands, their old models are so durable that I still use my grandfather's rototiller. I won't look for any other brand to buy. But people have told me the newer models are not as durable as the old ones. I can't say for myself because I don't have one. It's better to search the net for comments and reviews to be able to buy the best one for you.


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## hotrod351 (Jul 8, 2015)

very few new things are built as well as the older stuff. the old stuff, troy-bilt, were built to outlast.


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## Gary Alford (Jun 18, 2010)

DSHinNC said:


> Hello. Yesterday, I just purchased an older Troy Bilt Horse tiller. I would like to know what year it was made, as well as which gear/transmission oil and engine oil is recommended. I am assuming 30 wt on the engine oil, but really need to know the transmission part. Also, the serial number is 475437, so can anyone help with this, and tell me what year this tiller was made?
> 
> BTW, I should say that the original 8 hp Kohler engine is no longer on it, and it has a relatively new Honda 6.5 HP motor. So, is 30 wt correct engine oil?


Honda engines use 10W30 motor oil !!


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Since the last post of this was over 5 years ago, I am assuming that he either gave up on us or got it figured out or both......


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