Treadmill motors explained!

HP ratings discussed, as well as common failures regarding treadmill motors

[@GutPyle]

THANK YOU! I get so tired of some of the "makers" on KZbin talking about the horsepower of their treadmill motors without ever understanding where those numbers come from and why they're inflated.

[@axxo]

Straightforward explanation, examples, good picture and sound quality. Thanks for this great video. As a treadmill dealer I get spreadsheets from manufacturers with treadmill spec. Excel spec. spreadsheet has line called "label horsepower" and "real horsepower power". Seriously. Same goes to "max user weight". Cheating on the horsepower is more and more common due to the fact that customers tend to pay for the spec on paper, not the real quality. The dishonest brands are getting rewarded while the ones showing proper, real horsepower are not getting the credit they deserve :( Subscribed, waiting for more videos.

[@MorganThayer]

Thanks for this, it was useful in informing my future purchase!

[@A1treadmill]

Glad it was helpful!

[@David-hm9ic]

This is very helpful. I'm probably not your only view that's interested in using treadmill motors to power machinery. Often the cheaper motors don't list a nominal rpm rating for a given voltage and that makes comparing hp and torque much more difficult. I would prefer a higher watt rating at a lower rpm. The views of the shaft ends showing keyways was helpful. A keyed pulley is far easier to work with than a threaded shaft for powering machinery. I would take that old Baldor over any of them. New bearings and brushes and it's good for another thousand or two hours.

[@daftlord28]

Useful information, thank you! Could you make a video about treadmill belt quality? That would be very interesting

[@A1treadmill]

That is on my list of things to do - I am currently collecting samples.

[@photog1529]

Very timely. I've had my Precor 9.25i for 20+ years (purchased in 2001)...the wife and I have a LOT of miles on it over those years. Just now, for the last two days my breaker has been tripping. When I reset the breaker, the treadmill works just fine, but inevitably the breaker trips again. I don't think its a motor issue...I'm hoping something simple as a frayed wire, but I'm suspecting a circuit board issue. Plan to open it today to see if anything is obvious. It may just be time to replace the entire treadmill.

[@A1treadmill]

Could be a worn walk belt.

[@checopacheco420]

Super good stuff 🎉

[@atleandersen1924]

couldn't help noticing a TÜV sticker on the "Joke" motor. In German Its short for Technischer Überwachungsverein. In English that's Technical Inspection Association. Its safe to say, that these guys don't do comedy, but rather the most stringent, hardcore inspection and certification on the planet.

[@A1treadmill]

I have no doubt that the motor will not burst into flames. But it is not sufficient for a treadmill.

[@martingriffith7824]

Please do a treadmill video explaining the best parts to look for in brands and models. Thank you

[@CuriousEarthMan]

Thanks for the great video! Could you possibly do a video where you address the rated HP and explain how the hp is affected by the speed, and how the torque relates? I've seen some rated with a very high rpm (6000 maybe?) and it seems like to develop the rated hp, the belt would be moving at 100 mph. I'm interested in knowing how using these motors to power other machinery would work, especially at low rpm. Any information you cared to present would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[@cjpwolf2436]

I'm wanting to build a homemade H-Axis top loader washer And I was going to use a treadmill motor the loading capacity would have 4.5 kgs or 5 kgs. So which one should I use?

[@alialnaqqash]

hello, can you please advise me on any way to operate the treadmill motor .with Many thanks and appreciation

[@rainplumbingrainplumbing3971]

How about using as generator ie hydro do they work well ?

[@ZGoddessLola]

Great video, just one little note Momentum = Mass * Speed

[@thelongerrun]

Really awesome video. I've been noticing that the newer slat treadmills tend to use AC motors. Do you have much experience with those? How does their performance compare with more traditional DC motors in belt-driven mills?

[@A1treadmill]

The vast majority of commercial grade treadmills use AC motors. They have no brushes, so a major failure point is eliminated. Since the motor is properly sized, they rarely have problems. Even bearing issues are rare. However, the circuitry to control them is more complex and more expensive, which is why they are rare in residential grade treadmills.

[@1weirddoe571]

Please have a video to explain how to get the flywheel off--so that I can get at the noisy bearings. My Proform motor is somewhat bigger but looks like the first and when the fan is removed there is simply a small shaft which is impossible to grab onto in order to hold it from spinning as I try to twist the wheel pully. One video show just pulling it apart and vise gripping at the armature to try to twist the pully off? I would think that ruins the armature? THe pully isn't keyed so it has to spin off, so maybe soak the threads in old motor oil?

[@Luis-jd5ds]

Thanks for the informative video. Is the second to right an Echelon motor? I have the 2.0 HP from the stride-s such is stopping after turning and looks different. It has two harnesses, one with three wires and one with a 5 pin connector. Do you know where to get parts for those? Thanks

[@A1treadmill]

The second from the left is an Echelon motor, I don't remember what model. Echelon is a new company, AFAIK the only place to get parts is from Echelon itself 1 (833) YES-BIKE.

[@joehazel612]

I am looking for high torque DC motors to use on a lathe. I see a lot of units for sale cheap or free. Can you advise which makes our models use torque instead of RPMs to make horsepower?

[@A1treadmill]

A fatter motor will typically have more torque.

[@blakes8901]

quick question. I happen to have that exact Landice motor manufactured by Baldor that you have all the way on the right side of the table. is the max armature current really 32.5 amps? I'm asking because in my mind i cant get rid of the idea that those wires are too small to push 32.5 amps through.

[@A1treadmill]

It may just be a rating, achieved mathematically, that would never actually happen in a real-life scenario. Also, when the incoming AC is switched to DC for the motor, the numbers tend to be much higher than you would expect. IOW, IDK

[@blakes8901]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it

[@bralonrobinson240]

Quick question, if I wanted to replace a motor in a treadmill to achieve a speed of say 35-40 mph, is there such a motor that is produced? @A1treadmill

[@A1treadmill]

You would be better off getting a treadmill made for high speeds livnorth.com/product/woodway-elg/

[@israeldelamoblas5043]

I have that Johnson red one and it is getting hotter and hotter. Up to 110ºC! I do not find the replacement and all the technicians refuse to repair it. Which usefull piece of advice would you give it to me? THANKS

[@A1treadmill]

Your belt is probably worn out and causing the heat. Did they take an amp draw?

[@israeldelamoblas5043]

@@A1treadmill Not yet. Nevertheless the belt is 200€ and the motor has been repaired twice. I feel is time to go. Maybe I would be able to give a second life to those hardware parts. Anyway, thanks a ton for answering.

[@troy3456789]

Is there such a thing as a brushless DC treadmill motor? (I tried looking for them using my favorite search engine and came up empty handed). Later, i found some Chinese made ones. (no way). i found some larger brushless DC motors, but I am uncertain what to get, and they say they are not specifically for treadmills.

[@A1treadmill]

They exist, but are very rare. AC motors are rare in residential treadmills, but still far more common than DC brushless.

[@troy3456789]

@@A1treadmill Thank you for answering my question. Based upon your video and what you have said, you have seen many treadmills, many treadmill motors.

[@David-hm9ic]

@@A1treadmill There's really no such thing as a DC brushless motor. The brushless "DC" motors in battery powered hand tools and radio controlled models are powered by a speed controller that puts out pulse width modulated square wave 3 phase power, usually at 8 kHz. The windings of those motors are exactly the same as 3 phase Wye wound 230VAC motors. They won't run on straight DC power; they'll just burn up if it's tried.

[@victoryfirst2878]

The largest motor which you call Landis which has a Buldor tag , was made how many years Sir ?? Can you please tell me that information. Thanks

[@A1treadmill]

The Baldor motor would be about 10 -15 years old. I cannot check anymore because I recycled it shortly after I made the video.

[@victoryfirst2878]

Would you try to remember if you would get more to take apart, thanks. How do you get your treadmill and do you get them to take away Sir ?? Thanks@@A1treadmill

[@SimonClegg-nz9jm]

Hi - my home treadmill has had some sort of electrical failure. I suspect the motor but I’m unsure. I have a permanent magnet dc motor (yongkang gaosen electrical co ltd) model: 10016BP 180volt . I’ve taken the motor out and attached a multimeter to the positive and negative leads and I get a reading of 2.6 ohms. I’m unsure if that’s ok or even too high. Impossible to answer I guess? 0:15

[@A1treadmill]

What failure? If you suspect the motor, attach the motor wires to a drill battery and see how it works, or not.

[@SimonClegg-nz9jm]

@@A1treadmill I may have missed an obvious thing to try (doh). I’ll try that tomorrow- thank you

[@sahibmastoi315]

Can we use this treadmill motor for electric power supply through wind ??

[@A1treadmill]

A motor would not be right for that application - a generator would be better.

[@mrmidnight32]

My treadmill motor has 3 phases, that means it’s an AC motor correct? It doesn’t say on the label. Just says 5hp

[@A1treadmill]

That would certainly be implied. Another tell would be the number of wires coming out of the motor. If its more than 2 plus a ground, then it would be an AC motor.

[@user-wf7rk7vu9d]

comment trouve ça

[@salimriyadi99]

Teruslah mengupload video

[@chsn3493]

How to reduce motor temperature over 20 minutes run Time with the load..

[@A1treadmill]

Probably : replace the walk belt.

[@champspec]

The purpose of the flywheel is to balance out the drive assembly and decrease vibrations and unsightly noises. The vibrations can cause fluctuations in current, load and amperage draw, which are all very bad for electric motor longevity. The noise that’s created from a failing drive motor is bearing failure 95 times out of 100…. If you want to discuss actual HP of these things, try doing some reading to refresh your knowledge on Ohm’s law. Take out your calculator and figure out what the real power is based on the RPM and Watts displayed on the label at equivalent voltages at 60hz…. You will probably not ge surprised which manufacturers are honest when it comes to this rather obvious factor…

[@wmike8162]

Thanks. We own two Nordic track incline trainers and one nt treadmill. The incline trainers are crap. The cheap keyboards fail. The eddy current brakes fail. But no one else makes an incline trainer. Frustrating.

[@michaelhodge9902]

The treadmill motor is three phase induction motor.

[@A1treadmill]

All of the motors featured are DC - 3 phase would refer to an AC motor.

[@angelooldman7201]

are treadmill motors 120v?

[@A1treadmill]

The motors featured are DC, not AC. Voltage depends on speed. AC treadmill motors are more common in commercial grade treadmills. They are complicated to run, so I would not call them "120v".