THE TREADMILL MOTOR STORY

THE TREADMILL MOTOR STORY

DC Motors

There are 2 ratings for a DC motor. Continuous duty and peak duty this is generally expressed as follows; 1.5hp continuous with a 3.7hp peak.

What this really means is; This motor will product 1.5hp or power continuously without much effort or strain and can do this for a long period time.If put under strain, it has the capacity of producing 3.7hp of power, but will not last long at this performance level.

In reality a domestic treadmill does not need any more than a 3hp continuous duty motor.

The Old “Does Size Matter Story”

The life of the motor has more to do with the quality of the motor than the size. And the size required is relative to the work load.

What really strains a motor is high weight being moved at low speed. So say 140kg walking at 2km per hour at this speed the motor has little chance of developing inertia in the fly wheel and therefore demands far more raw power from the motor.

AC Motor

Only in the past 5 years have we begun to see the variable speed AC motor find its way into top end Domestic treadmills.

The variable speed AC motor in general is significantly more powerful than its equivalently rated DC alternative and has a much longer life expectancy.

How Long Will My Treadmill Last??

The truth is at this point in time I am not sure that is going to equate to value for the home user, because in all honesty, how long would you consider to be a fair life span for your home treadmill? I say 5 to 7 years. Most of us would be ready to upgrade to the latest technology by then and would consider this a good innings.

This is the same for commercial equipment. In real terms the likely hood of being able to get parts for all but the very best brands of treadmills, starts to get very slim past 4 years. My advice in the commercial arena is to plan on a 3 to 4 year replacement cycle.

Team Fitquip