Gym Equipment maintenance is one important criterion which most gym owners are unaware of.

Any equipment that has moving parts will somehow, in the future, fail. Gym equipment has unique parts such as cabling, pulleys, motors, bolts. If your treadmill is slipping or sticks while running, it is time to care for your machine.

For the machine to operate successfully, all these parts must work together in unison. So how can you ensure that your unit is performing optimally per specification?

Preventive maintenance is the key to ensuring that your machine will run for a long time without breaking down.

What is Preventive Maintenance and its Importance?

Continuous use of your gym equipment, especially in gym centers, parts on the equipment will eventually have wear and tear. And if we do not replace this component in time, it may further damage the equipment, which may be even bigger.

So the role of preventive maintenance is to ensure that the components before it fail to be replaced. Regular maintenance is necessary for the optimal performance and long life of your fitness equipment.

For example, let’s say the running track belt is worn out and is causing some friction to the drive motors. If this is not replaced on time, eventually, the drive motor working harder against the friction may get heated and eventually fail. Or the motor control board may get overheated and fail.

These are expensive parts, and if the belt was replaced in the first place, which is cheap, he could have saved the cost of replacing the expensive motor or control boards.

The benefits of preventive maintenance are

• It will continuously ensure top performance and improved uptime of the tool.
• If you are running a center, this will ensure reduced downtime and lead to good customer satisfaction.
• As the machine is running in excellent condition, it will lead to lesser unplanned maintenance expenses and costly repairs
• The life expectancy of the equipment is enhanced, thus reducing overhead costs.
• Most importantly, the safety of your customers is ensured.

How often Should Preventive Maintenance Be Done?

We must remember that the machine should be running fine between one PM to the next with no issues. If a mechanical breakdown happens in between PM, then the schedule should be more frequent.

Many factors determine the schedule of Preventive Maintenance. Some of the factors are;

• Brand and Type
• The age of the equipment, the older it is, the more frequent it should be done.
• Duration and frequency of use-Comparing Gym center vs. Home use. Home users mainly use the machine less, so the frequency can be lesser.
• Other factors

FoliageField can give you the right schedule so that your machines are always at their peak.

What is Done During Preventive Maintenance?

Note that preventive maintenance done varies from brand to brand and machine to machine. But the technician will undertake the following procedure.

Beforehand, he will have a prepared checklist and inspection sheet for that model.

• He will get some input from the owner about the condition of the machine before doing anything.
• Inspection of all moving parts for wear and tear and noise.
• Bolts and nuts should be tightened and, if necessary, replaced.
• If any unwanted noise is present, it may be from bearings.
• He will open up the system and do a 5S methodology inspection.
• He cleans and combs the internal and external parts of the system, inspecting at the same time for any irregularities.
• He may fine-tune the system and adjust it if necessary.
• He makes a report on the system and passes it to the owner.

Did you know that any free play on the arms or paddles of gym equipment or any slack in the cables and pulleys can cause harm to the user, especially on the joints?

Above is just a brief understanding of what we do during preventive maintenance.

Should Owners Consider Preventive Maintenance?

The answer is a big yes. Routine preventive maintenance must be performed regularly on all your machines.

It is just a small cost compared to the benefits you get over the long run.

For example, we at FoliageFiled distribute and sell treadmill belts. Many owners do not know the importance of replacing torn or hardened belts. We can replace the belts easily and at a lowered cost.

Give us a call for any queries or understanding. We are always glad to help out.