Treadmill Belt Replacement

A dedicated user should look out for the condition of his home treadmill. He should be prepared to do more than just waxing and lubricating it, to make it run smoothly. Sometime, his or her care may take the form of the changing its belt when the need arises.

Why Replace Treadmill Belt

A treadmill belt, as is the case with the parts of any equipment, frays and wears after it has been put to continuous use. It may develop cracks or the miles it has been used for may cause grooves in it. The belt, in such condition, is a candidate for replacement. The sooner it is done, the better it is from the point of view of uninterrupted use of this exercise equipment in your home gym.

Instructions to Replace the Treadmill's Belt

You can simply cut the old worn out and frayed belt. However, according to the maintenance tips, the task of installation of a new belt can be done easily by disassembling and reassembling the related parts. Refer to the instruction manual to know what type of belt suits your machine.

• To ensure that nobody turns the treadmill on while you are working on it, unplug it from the power source.
• Next step is to uncover the engine so that you can get at the belt.
• Normally, the belt is subjected to tension which enables it to operate properly. Unfasten the bolts or the screws that alter the tension for the belt. You will find these near the rear or the side of the belt. Unfasten these to move the rear roller near the deck.
• There are some treadmills that has an incline feature that can be used to change of the angle of inclination of the machine. Plug the machine in a power source and incline it. Disconnect it once again and remove the front roller. In absence of this feature simply remove the front roller and kept it aside.
• One can remove the belt by unscrewing the screws or bolts that are used to maintain the deck as well as the belt in place. Now remove the entire assembly.
• Have look at the deck, if needed, lubricate or wax it.
• Slide the new belt onto the deck and position the entire assembly in its place.
• Maneuver the rear roller inside the belt properly and place it in its proper position. Use screws to secure it, for the time being, loosely to the treadmill.
• Next step is to screw in the front roller in its position, after putting it inside the belt. Secure it loosely by using screws or the bolts.
• Position the belt properly over the drive gear.
• Use the screws of the front and the rear rollers to get the proper tension on the belt.
• Fasten the deck assembly, with the help of screws.
• At this stage of the job, you need to test how well you have carried out the job. Connect the treadmill to a power source and run it at a very low speed for a few minutes.
• Step on it, if it halts then it means that you need to carry out an adjustment by increasing the tension on it. Unplug the treadmill and alter the tension on the belt.
• Connect it back to the power source and check. Continue to adjust the tension on the belt until the treadmill is working to your satisfaction at high speed. Use lubricant to increase the belt's life.

The work is easy and by doing it yourself, you can save a few bucks, all the while enjoying its benefits. How soon you will have to inspect your treadmill depends on how heavily you use it for exercise. If you are a dedicated user of this fitness equipment then you should inspect it, at least once in 5-6 months. Whether it is a cheap one or a costly piece of equipment, the factors such as its age, angle of inclination on it, the speed it is used at and how many miles you clock on it, have a bearing on how often you should take care of it.