Together with an exercise bike, a treadmill is an extremely useful piece of gym equipment that lets you walk, jog, or run on it whenever you feel like it and whenever you can spare the time for a dose of beneficial cardiovascular activity.
Having a treadmill in your house or apartment is awesome… until the time comes for you to move to another place. Then, the safe relocation of the big and heavy exercise equipment piece becomes a serious concern simply because leaving it behind is very rarely an option.
Parting with your treadmill is usually a bad idea not only because you’ve already paid good money to buy it in the first place but also because you won’t have it in the new place and will have to rely on local gyms and fitness centers to stay fit after the relocation.
Read on to learn the best way to pack and move a treadmill to another house so that you can keep using your favorite gym equipment from the comfort of your new home.
What to do before packing and moving your treadmill
Once you’ve made up your mind that you’re moving your treadmill to the new place no matter what, there’s no going back. And so, in order to move forward, you’re going to have to start working on the tasks that will help you achieve your goal.
Here’s what you should do before you even start packing up your treadmill for moving:
1. Get a furniture dolly
The average weight of a treadmill is around 200-250 pounds.
Now, your treadmill can weigh less than that but as long as it’s over 100 pounds, you’re going to need a furniture dolly to move it from your home to the moving vehicle outside.
Do not underestimate the challenging task ahead of you. Instead, rent a furniture dolly from a local moving company or purchase one from one of the best home improvement stores in your town or city.
Either way, a moving dolly will keep things safe for you, for your helpers, and for your expensive piece of exercise equipment as well.
2. Secure helpers for the task
The most important thing you should remember is that moving a treadmill from one house to another is not a task for a single person – that is, you.
If you were to move your treadmill from one room to another on the same level, then you’d probably be able to tackle the task on your own, especially if the gym equipment has wheels on the bottom. However, attempting to transport the heavy equipment unit to the vehicle outside entirely on your own is a very bad idea no matter how you look at it.
Make sure you have at least one helper to assist you on the day of the move. If you cannot find anyone to give you a hand, then you have to do the sensible thing and hire professional movers to do it for you.
3. Find the owner’s manual of your treadmill
You’re going to need the owner’s manual of your exercise machine in order to check again how to fold the treadmill properly and then how to lock it safely for transport.
Now, if you know how to secure your treadmill for transport, then that’s great. But if you’re not sure, then you should definitely consult the instruction manual.
If you don’t keep the owner’s manual, you should do a quick search online using the keyword owner’s manual, followed by the brand and make of the treadmill you own.
4. Clean the treadmill before packing it
It’s a really good idea to clean your treadmill before packing it up and moving it to the new house. After all, why should you risk introducing any dirt or even germs to the new place?
Use paper towels with a quality all-purpose cleaner to wipe down the entire equipment piece – it shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to clean and sanitize your favorite gym equipment unit.
Must-read: Week-by-week moving checklist
How to pack a treadmill for moving: 10 packing steps
Packing a treadmill for moving is all about making sure the bulky exercise unit is well protected for the journey to the new place. Keep in mind that the greater the distance to the destination home, the bigger the risk will be of potential damage to one of the most common pieces of fitness equipment.
Follow these steps to pack your treadmill for safe transport:
- Step 1. SET the incline of the treadmill to zero (reset it). If it’s already at zero, go to the next step.
- Step 2. TURN OFF the machine using the main switch located at the front end or side of the unit.
- Step 3. UNPLUG the treadmill from the power outlet.
- Step 4. SECURE the power cable with a zip tie or an elastic band, tuck it inside its dedicated compartment (if applicable), or tape it to the side of the exercise unit with the help of some painter’s tape.
- Step 5. REMOVE the safety key (if applicable) and keep it in a safe place.
- Step 6. FOLD your treadmill according to the detailed instructions in the owner’s manual. Keep in mind that most treadmills will fold in half safely, either by getting the top section of the unit to fold down OR the bottom section of the machine to fold up.
- Step 7. LOCK the treadmill in its folded position using the locking mechanism – either a tightening knob or a locking pin. If unsure how to do it, consult the owner’s manual once more. This step is crucial as you don’t want the gym equipment unit to open up accidentally during transport.
- Step 8. BE mindful that your treadmill may be a non-folding model, meaning that you may need to disassemble it partially for safe transportation OR leave it as it is, without taking it apart. Again, check the owner’s manual about the best way to move your unit from one house to another.
- Step 9. WRAP the entire treadmill in soft furniture blankets to keep it safe during transit. If you don’t have any specialized moving blankets, then ordinary household blankets should do fine. Just keep in mind that some of those blankets may get dirty or even get torn during the treadmill moving process.
- Step 10. USE pieces of packing tape to secure the padding blankets onto the exercise unit.
See also: Packing timeline for moving
How to move a treadmill to another house
Once you ensure your treadmill is adequately protected for the road ahead, it’s time to take it out of the home and load it into the awaiting moving vehicle outside.
Remember that even if your treadmill is equipped with wheels on its bottom, you won’t be able to use them simply because you’re not moving the treadmill to another spot in the same room or another room within the place located on the same level.
So, in order to take your treadmill outside your place, you’re going to need a furniture dolly, as discussed above.
Use the following steps to move a treadmill to another house:
- Step 1. CLEAR a safe path to prevent accidents. Inspect carefully the intended route all the way from the current spot of your treadmill to the vehicle outside and make sure there are no obstacles of any sort such as scattered boxes along the exit path.
- Step 2. PLAN, together with your helper, the best course of action in order to take the treadmill safely out of your current home.
- Step 3. CARRY OUT the treadmill with your friend if the exercise unit weighs around 50-80 pounds. In this case, the two of you should be able to lift it and carry it safely out of the house. Go very slowly, especially down the stairs, and follow these proper lifting techniques to prevent any sortс of injuries.
- Step 4. USE a furniture dolly to move the treadmill if the latter weighs around or more than 100 pounds. How to move a treadmill with a dolly? Follow the next few steps to find out.
- Step 5. PLACE the furniture dolly right beside the treadmill. Have your helper stand on one side of the fitness equipment while you stand on the opposite side. Then, both of you should carefully lift simultaneously the unit using the strength of your legs (without straining your back) and position it on the furniture dolly.
- Step 6. MAKE SURE the treadmill is well centered onto the dolly. This way, the weight of the exercise unit will be distributed evenly and it’ll be much easier to control while you and your assistant push it toward the exit.
- Step 7. SECURE the treadmill onto the furniture dolly using straps or pieces of rope. Check to make sure it’s stable enough onto the low 4-wheel platform before you start wheeling it out of the house.
- Step 8. BE extremely careful if you are forced to go down the stairs with the heavy load. In fact, it’s not recommended that you should move your treadmill downstairs without professional assistance but if you must do it, then make sure the stronger person between you and your helper go down the stairs first. Ensure that the person on the top has a good grip – it’s best if you and your friend wear work gloves.
- Step 9. KEEP the treadmill tilted roughly at a 45-degree angle while going down the stairs. The person on the top should pull the dolly back toward themselves while the person below the dolly should guide the load down one step at a time.
- Step 10. LOAD the dolly with the treadmill on it into the moving truck using the loading ramp. Once inside the back of the vehicle, secure the load to the side using straps.
Moving a treadmill to another house is a risky business, especially when there are stairs involved between the current spot of the treadmill and the moving vehicle. The risk of damage to the expensive piece of fitness equipment or personal injuries during the move is too high, so you are strongly recommended to hire professionals for the job.
Get free quotes from the best moving companies in your area to find out how much the pros will charge you to move your treadmill from one house to another.
Read also: Why should you hire professional movers?
