You may not notice a slight belt slip when walking on your treadmill. But if you start to jog or run, a slipping belt can cause jerky, uneven movements or even slip completely off track to one side of the treadmill frame. The exact methods for adjusting treadmill belt tension vary slightly by manufacturer. You can control belt tension, without taking the treadmill apart to access the inner workings, by adjusting the rear roller bolts with a hex wrench.
General Belt Slippage
Step 1
Locate the rear roller bolts, located in the rear of the treadmill frame to each side of the treadbelt. The hex wrench that came with your treadmill should fit these bolts.
Step 2
Tighten each bolt by a quarter turn. Tighten the bolts evenly; tightening one more than the other may cause the belt to slip to one side.
Step 3
Run the treadmill and check the belt for slippage. If the slippage was fairly subtle, you may need to walk, jog or run on the treadmill to see if the belt tracks properly; it should provide a smooth, steady running surface with no slipping or hesitating when you step. Check the belt tension after each adjustment, because over-tightening the treadmill belt can damage the belt or roller bearings.
Step 4
Tighten both bolts another quarter turn, if necessary, then run the treadmill again to check for slippage.
Belt Slips to One Side
Step 1
Locate which roller bolt you're supposed to use to adjust belt tracking. This differs between manufacturers. On NordicTrack, Sole Fitness and ProForm treadmills, you adjust only the left roller bolt for belt tracking. On Horizon Fitness treadmills, you adjust only the right roller bolt.
Step 2
Run the treadmill and observe which way the belt slips. If the belt slips toward the roller bolt you're supposed to adjust, tighten that roller bolt by one-quarter to one-half turn. If the belt slips away from the bolt you're supposed to adjust, loosen the bolt by one-quarter to one-half turn.
Step 3
Run the treadmill at moderate speed--about 3 mph--for a few minutes and watch to see if the belt begins to track correctly. If not, adjust the roller bolt again.
Tips and Warnings
- If tightening the rear roller bolts doesn't solve the belt slippage problem, it might be a loose drive belt. If so, you need a trained technician to repair it for you.
Things You'll Need
- Hex wrench
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