Healthrider treadmills remain to be one of the most popular fitness equipment, whether used in the gym or at home.
Like any other complicated machines, Healthrider products require some maintenance, and different parts may need replacement from time to time.
In today’s guide we are helping you go through the Healthrider treadmill belt replacement process to ensure the safety for you and other users for years to come.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it!
Signs a Healthrider Treadmill Belt Needs Replacement
Symptoms like fraying edges, excessive smoothness, sluggish belt movement, or slippage can all be signs that your treadmill belt requires maintenance. But to determine whether you are replacing the belt or not, you need to know exactly what to look for and what tests to perform.
First off, turn on Healthrider treadmill and start running it at the slowest speed possible. Pay close attention to the edges of the belt and make sure they aren’t curling or frayed.
Fraying or curling can be an obvious sign that you should be replacing the treadmill belt.
Next, loosen your treadmill belt using a screwdriver in order to be able to visually inspect and feel the interior and exterior belt surfaces.
Avoid loosening the bolts too much, you want them just loose enough to be able to slide your hand inside the belt and visually inspect the underside of the belt.
After the tension bolts are loose, run your hand along the underside and top to check for signs of excessive wear. This may come in the form of discoloration or extreme smoothness.
Discoloration for most treadmill belts will seem dark, almost black.
Also if you feel excessive smoothness in the areas where you walk, your belt needs to be replaced.
Next, you want to inspect the seam of the belt. This is a particularly vulnerable area of the belt and can easily be the source of many problems.
Identify the seam where the belt has been connected, and make certain that it isn’t coming undone.
Run your hand along the seam on the underside of the belt, check for any signs of wear and tear on the top of the belt seam.
If the belt seam edges are fraying or coming apart, you need to replace the tread belt.
Healthrider Treadmill Belt Replacement Toolkit
For belt replacement process, tools you will need are:
- Treadmill belt.
- Allen wrench.
- Phillips head screw driver.
- A marker.
Healthrider Treadmill Belt Replacement – Step By Step Guide
Healthrider Treadmills may vary in model and style, but the procedure demonstrated here is very similar to all Healthrider products.
Make sure to unplug the treadmill from the wall power outlet before committing the guide below so that there’s no risk of an electrical shock.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to replace walking belt on Healthrider treadmill:
STEP 1: Remove the motor hood cover
Most treadmills have a plastic cover at the front of the unit that covers up motor hood. However, some Healthrider models tend to have the motor hood cover underneath the walking platform.
You must refer to the owner’s manual of your particular model to see where the motor hood is located.
If your treadmill happens to have it underside the deck, then simply get the tread into folded position and remove the screws attaining the underside cover to the treadmill frame.
If not, then remove the Phillips screws attaching the motor hood to the machine from the sides and the front. Then lift off the motor hood cover.
STEP 2: Remove the end caps
Go to the back of your machine unit and remove the screws that retain the end cap to the frame, then slide the end caps off the treadmill.
STEP 3: Mark the rollers position
Use a marker or a piece of tape to mark out where the idle rollers are on the front and back of the machine.
STEP 4: Remove the rear roller
Start by loosening the left and right tension screws on the idle roller at the front of the roller and remove them.
Next, lift and slide the roller out of the running belt.
STEP 5: Remove the front roller
With the belt loosened, while turning the drive roller by hand, pull on the inside of the drive belt in order to walk it off the drive roller pulley.
Carefully remove the drive roller out of the running belt.
STEP 6: Remove the deck bolts
Remove the deck bolts that hold the deck to the frame.
STEP 7: Remove belt
With the help of another person, lift the deck from the right side then slide the running belt off.
STEP 8: Reinstall the new belt
After you’ve removed the old belt, Carefully install the new walking belt around the walking board.
STEP 9: Reassemble the deck
Install and hand tighten the deck mounting bolts all the way once they are in.
STEP 10: Reinstall the front roller
Slide the drive roller into place. Walk the drive belt by hand onto the pulley just as it was taken off.
STEP 11: Reassemble the rear roller
Slide the roller though the back of the running belt and fully hand tighten the mounting bolts into the roller shaft.
STEP 12: Test the belt
After you successfully replace the walking belt, lift the new belt in the middle to make sure it’s appropriately tightened.
It should lift between 2 and 3 inches away from the treadmill, but no more.
You also want to make sure the gap on both side of the walking belt are equal.
Get on Healthrider treadmill belt adjustment guide if your new belt is not properly aligned or tensioned and needs adjustment.
STEP 13: Reinstall the end caps
Replace and screw the end caps at the back of the unit.
STEP 14: Put the motor hood back on
Once you are done with replacing and adjusting your treadmill walking as called for, put the motor hood and screws back on.
Make sure to also replace the upright tube caps and screw them as they were before.
Final Thoughts
A treadmill belt is the most important part of the treadmill, and unfortunately at some point, you probably will have to replace it at some point.
Today’s guide has given you a lot of useful information to help you understand when you need to replace your Healthrider treadmill belt and how to do it all by yourself.
