Woodway Treadmills | Features/Benefits : Design

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THERE ARE BASICALLY TWO TREADMILL DESIGNS:

Conventional Treadmills
Conventional treadmills utilize the conveyor belt design principle (think grocery store checkout). This design is adequate for light, well-distributed weight. However, there is tremendous force and friction that occurs during human footstrike that takes its toll on these systems. Manufacturers attempt to overcome the design inadequacies with various solutions that increase maintenance and are only solutions for the short-term. Nearly all treadmills on the market are of this "conventional" type.

Woodway Treadmills
Woodway treadmills feature an original (internationally - patented) design which was developed in response to conventional treadmill designs. It’s designers set out to develop a safe and comfortable running surface for humans which also did not create the kind of friction associated with the conveyor belt style. To do this they started with a ball-bearing transportation system. Then they created an entirely new running surface.

	COMPARISON BETWEEN TREADMILL SYSTEMS Woodway Treadmills Woodway has separated the running surface from the transportation system to provide: A 3/8" thick vulcanized rubber T-slat that absorbs shock at the point of impact without changing the biomechanics of running. An endless wire reinforced lateral belt (zero stretch - no adjusting) that runs on 112 ABEC 1 rated bearings and 10 tracking rollers (1/8" lateral tolerance).

	This combined system provides a running surface of 35-40 type A shore hardness, which was found by the Deutsche Sporthochschule in Koln (Germany) to be the ideal "softness" to eliminate the harmful shock to connective tissue, while not changing proper biomechanics. Also, the low friction ball bearing transportation system alleviates the forces to all mechanical and electrical parts, resulting in less wear, less maintenance, fewer repairs, lower electric bills, and a longer treadmill life.

Conventional Treadmills
Conventional treadmills utilize a PVC, cotton, and nylon belt which must be tightly stretched between two rollers to engage the belt to the drive roller. For many reasons, such as usage and humidity, the belt becomes loose, slips, and thus requires tensioning. This results in inaccurate speed readings and decreased performance. Also, the tensioning geometrically decreases the life of the belt and roller bearings.

The actual running surface is a relatively stationary hard-wood deck that the belt travels over. The surface is not soft (more like concrete). Also, to reduce the coefficient of friction when a load is applied, wax, silicon, or pheonalics are used. But, applied lubricants cannot be put on too generously as it would cause slippage in the tensioned belt / drive roller connection. Conventional treadmill manufacturers are attempting to apply mechanical systems to reduce the amount of human involvement, without addressing the inherent design deficiencies component life.

978 lb. Harley Davidson going 23 MPH on Woodway Treadmill

THE TORTURE TEST

Woodway devised a Traction Force Test using a motorcycle and rider with a combined weight of 978 pounds.

Results:
After 32 minutes of being driven at 22-29 miles per hour the Woodway showed no signs of wear.

Last Updated: May 21, 2008