RunningAHEAD - Topic: Treadmill Deck Cracked

mark.bogner

posted: 12/15/2008 at 9:42 AM
modified: 12/15/2008 at 9:43 AM

I have a NorticTrack Treadmill that had the 3/4" thick particle board for the deck. This past weekend I was doing a workout on it and ended up cracking the board, NorticTrack wants ~$150 to replace the board and I think that is outrageous and it will likely break again because of how thin the board is. I am thinking I am going to go to Home Depot and buy a 1" thick piece of MDF to replace it with but I need to figure out what I need to coat it with. It seems like it is some kind of Teflon coating, does anyone know what it is and if I could purchase it at a local hardware store? Thank you for any advice! And if anyone has tried this in their past how did it go and do you have any recommendations?

mark.bogner

posted: 12/16/2008 at 9:03 AM
modified: 12/16/2008 at 9:04 AM

Well, it looked like some people looked at my posting yesterday (no recommendations, huh?) so I will update you guys as I go along... I bought a 4x8 sheet of Birch laminated MDF wood last night - it is 3/4" thick I really wanted an 1" thick but no one carried it. I also bought some high gloss and highly resistant paint that is supposed to be used on grills and cars. I figured this would be the best coating to resist wear on the belt and the wood. I will let you guys know how it goes.

brerfootbill

Half Fanatic #846

posted: 12/16/2008 at 10:11 AM
modified: 12/16/2008 at 10:13 AM

I don't have any advice, but it sounds like an interesting experiment - never heard of a cracked board. But I've always wondered about it because my Proform footboard has a LOT of "give". Good luck on the project - let us know what happens Smile

MTA: I've heard that you need to wax the board in the final step to reduce friction as much as possible.

"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!

jEfFgObLuE

I've got a fever...

posted: 12/16/2008 at 10:12 AM

I agree that some kind of Teflon coating would be best -- if the deck isn't properly coated, there will be too much friction with the belt. The belt will wear quickly, and it will put more strain on the motor, as it will have to pull more current at a given speed to compensate for the increased drag on the belt. You'll definitely want to compare how your new deck feels to the touch compared to the old one to see if you've matched the friction characteristics. Good luck!

On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

ODONNELL

My sweet new crank!

posted: 12/16/2008 at 11:09 AM
modified: 12/16/2008 at 11:10 AM

same thing happened to me, 11 mos after i purchased the treadmill from sears. i called and was rather nice to them, explaining that there is no way this should have happened. i talked them into sending one to me at no charge. it is a pain to replace, but better than shelling out 150. they want to take care of thier customers, and if you let them know that is important to you, so you will buy more, and spread the word about thier fine service, they should take care of you. they also noted that this is not a common breakage. i keep mine well lubricated with the goo they sell it has kept it going.

Ryan O'D Gurnee, IL by way of Madison, WI via Wichita, KS via Denver, CO

jEfFgObLuE

I've got a fever...

posted: 12/16/2008 at 12:23 PM

Quote from ODONNELL on 12/16/2008 at 11:09 AM:

they also noted that this is not a common breakage. i keep mine well lubricated with the goo they sell it has kept it going.

What is this goo, and who sells it?

On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

mark.bogner

posted: 12/16/2008 at 1:35 PM

Quote from ODONNELL on 12/16/2008 at 11:09 AM:

same thing happened to me, 11 mos after i purchased the treadmill from sears. i called and was rather nice to them, explaining that there is no way this should have happened. i talked them into sending one to me at no charge. it is a pain to replace, but better than shelling out 150.

Wow, what a concept! I guess I hadn't even thought to give them a call, I just looked online and saw the price and knew I could make something to replace my cracked board much cheaper than what they wanted for it. I am only 155 pounds and I know the treadmill should be rated for more than 155 even at 10 mph running. Thanks for the advice!

dotten

posted: 12/17/2008 at 9:26 AM

The same thing happened to us. We bought a refurbished Nordic Trac off the sales floor at Sears. About 2 years after we got it the deck cracked. When my husband took it apart and we saw the crack, we realized that the deck had already cracked once, and it had been repaired with some staples and some special tape. My husband built a deck himself using the same thickness plywood, and covered it in some thick clear plastic. He drilled all the holes and spent a few hours putting it on, and tweaking the tightness of the belt and such. We walked on it, and everything seemed fine, but then we ended up having Sears replace it. That was my idea. I was afraid that the homemade deck might cause further damage to the TM. We still have the homemade board, so if it happens again we can put it back on.

ODONNELL

My sweet new crank!

posted: 12/26/2008 at 2:32 PM

Quote from mark.bogner on 12/16/2008 at 1:35 PM:

Wow, what a concept! I guess I hadn't even thought to give them a call, I just looked online and saw the price and knew I could make something to replace my cracked board much cheaper than what they wanted for it. I am only 155 pounds and I know the treadmill should be rated for more than 155 even at 10 mph running. Thanks for the advice!

i have ordered the nordic track lube from the nordic track web site and tried the lube at a local fitness store, both seem to work well

Ryan O'D Gurnee, IL by way of Madison, WI via Wichita, KS via Denver, CO

mark.bogner

posted: 1/15/2009 at 4:21 PM

So here it is.... I finally put on the new deck after a month of messing around and trying to get the top coating correct... well after a couple times of using it I found out that my coating I used (although it is really slick) starts to gum up after ~10 minutes worth of running 8-10 mph (the belt wear must heat up the polymers in the coating). The owners manual says not to use lube on the belt so I havn't done that... however I have gone back to square one... I finally broke down and tried my attempt at calling NorticTrack AGAIN to see if they would be willing to replace the deck for free and guess what after some negotiating... they did! I have to cover the shipping but at least the deck will be right and I will not ruin the treadmill by having a homemaid deck on. So I guess I will be in the same boat at the other couple that did the homemaid deck thing and decided not to use it long term.

milerBonnie

posted: 1/15/2009 at 6:33 PM

My husband has a saying for this..."The squeaky wheel gets the oil." Big grin

Glad they were willing to work with you. Happy treadmilling.

Treadmill Deck Cracked (Read 5690 times)