So I got around to taking a closer look at the treadmill – I couldn’t get a look at the deck without pulling apart a bunch of the treadmill first. The deck has 2 layers – the top slick layer and the bottom particle board structural layer – you can’t really get a good look at the bottom layer from the top of the machine. I ended up having to pull off a side panel, a bottom panel and then loosening the back roller to get enough slack on the belt to shine a flashlight into the opening to check the deck.
Aaaaand it is cracked about 3/4s of its length right down the center. Basically the crack lets the deck flex too much and seems to have caused the belt to wear the top slick layer right down the center as well leaving a weird groove in the middle of the top of the deck.
Decks can be replaced but I don’t really know how much that would cost but it could be worth it if it was cheap enough. There are other things to consider though – such as the treadmill being over 6 years old – this would make it harder to find the parts needed plus the motors, etc have been worked pretty hard over the years and the breaker is starting to trip when the treadmill is worked hard. The treadmill indicates over 1100 miles on it so we have gotten our money’s worth out of the machine.
I did a quick look and a local store has some pretty impressive treadmills on sale for 60-70% off right now as a pre-boxing day sale. Looks like there are a couple machines in the $600 to $800 range that are regular around $2000 that have some very good specs. They have 20 inch wide decks, 2.5 chp engines, capable of 12 mph and 12% incline with weight limits greater than 300 pounds They look like very solid machines and seem to be very good deals. Considering the aging of our current machine and what needs to be replaced it probably doesn’t make sense to fix it.
So as much as I hate to have to do it, it looks like I will be heading past the store tomorrow around lunch time to have a closer look and pick up a machine. Yay more money to spend around Christmas time! Really though I still have many miles of training to go before the Goofy and the current temperatures outside make the outdoor runs unrealistic for me (I would probably have to spend just as much on winter running gear as the treadmill will cost!). If I want to keep this blog rolling I will need a treadmill to make sure I can get the mileage in – I could go to a gym but the additional time requirements probably won’t work this time of year. Since my wife started to use the treadmill too I wouldn’t want to derail her by going too long without something here at home for her to use.
So it looks like I am buying a new treadmill tomorrow….
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