Treadmill tracking and adjusting.

 
  A quick note about what is going on under the skid plate.


  The design of the Hydro Track treadmill belt incorporates a system of "training" wheels that keep the belt centered on the skid plate. As long as the adjustment is close.
  With the intended purpose of this machine being rehabilitation we had to realize that the person on the belt might not be able to walk evenly or centered in the tank, as they will favor one side of the belt or the other based on where there injuries are. With this in mind we developed the "training" wheel system that is hidden under the skid plate.

 Arrows indicate "training wheels."

There are two sets of these wheels, one set at each end of the belt.  During either service or cleaning you should always check these wheels to be free spinning and not stuck or jammed.  If they don't spin freely then they will not be able to do there job and will likely get cut by the belt when pushed to that side. Once gouged or cut they need to be replaced. If not replaced then they will damage the edge of the belt.  *Note* The belt is expensive.


 

 Step 1.   If the belt is slipping, to loose, or is continually running off to on side of the tank then you need to go through this procedure.  Start with the Lifting Treadmill page as you will probably need to lift the treadmill numerous times to complete the tracking.  And be sure that the water still covers the belt in order to keep the seals lubricated. The standard water height for this procedure is just above the rails of the skid plate.
 NOTE.  The water temperature is very important in this procedure for reasons other than your feet while testing the tension. It is important that the water temperature be the "normal" operating temperature for this machine just before draining for this procedure. Simply stated; the machine is plastic and plastic expands when it gets hot. If you adjust the belt cold then heat it up for operation it will be to tight.


 
  Step 2.  Start with a pretest of the belt tension. If you are doing a readjustment then you should be pretty close. If you have just replaced the belt then you should loosen each side evenly a couple of turns to be safe. With a helper to run the belt controls for you stand on the belt and have it turned on, slowest speed setting. If the belt does not move then obviously it is to loose. If you can not stop the belt intentionally by pulling on the hand rails then it is to tight. Now make appropriate adjustments small increments.

  Step 3.  After lifting the treadmill, Lifting Treadmill, find the adjustment bolts for the tail pulley.

Notice that I am lifting up on the bottom of the bolt. This keeps the adjustment nut seated in the shaft and clears the head of the bolt for adjustment. When adjusting for overall tension of the belt you have to adjust each side the exact same number of turns, usually counted in 1/6ths of a turn. In order to tighten the belt you turn both bolts clockwise. And of course to loosen the belt you turn both bolts counter-clockwise.


  Step 4.  Once you get the overall tension of the belt set then dial in the side to side adjustment. The proper overall tension is being able to walk on the belt without it slipping unless you "force" your weight down in pulses or grab the hand rails and pull yourself down.

  Step 5.   Now make small adjustments as necessary until the belt runs centered of the skid plate.  In order to know when it is truly centered you have to refer back to the top of this page, the "training" wheels. These wheels can make the belt look centered before it truly is. In order to know if the belt is touching a wheel on either side simply feel if the wheel is turning while the belt is running on slow. It is common for the belt to touch a wheel for only a portion of the belts full lap. As the belts are rarely perfectly true. Once the belt is no longer touching either side wheel, or as evenly as possible on both sides, then you have got it. For now.

Step 6.  You must now re-check the overall tension of the belt to see if your side to side adjustments added up to much in either direction.

  Step 7.  Once you've finished the tracking adjustments simply lock the skid plate back in place with the hold downs and the locking pins then refill for use.