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Post by Griffa on May 3, 2010 1:16:17 GMT
i have got a manual treadmill i thought it would be good for the dogs but its really hard to get going its not very free running i no some one who uses one for there dogs and it works well soon as the dog stands on it it will start to move were mine is crap i have tryed tightening the belt and losing it and still no good has any one got any tips or any ideas to make it more free running and dog friendly
thanx
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max
Full Member
Posts: 193
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Post by max on May 3, 2010 5:48:19 GMT
any pics Mickey?
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Post by Griffa on May 3, 2010 10:02:47 GMT
ill get some mate
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Post by kirsty on May 3, 2010 18:10:07 GMT
you could remove the belt and try to replace with carpet its hard to join though also remove any tensioners or brakes to make human workout harder. deffo pics needed.
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Post by Griffa on May 3, 2010 22:42:12 GMT
ok thanx ill get some and post them 1st thing i have removed all the brakes and things still no good its quite hard for me to get goin so some thing aint right it was only 15 quid of ebay so not that bothered but it should work
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Post by owasocourin on May 4, 2010 7:15:41 GMT
I think a proper one is worth the investment if you can afford it. They are leagues above the converted ones imo. More expensive but you get what you pay for.
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Post by jjbulls on May 6, 2010 20:11:29 GMT
Yes Neil, you are absolutly right .. ! a purpose made machine is better all round ..! but i think Lee or shakka , adapted human tredmill ? its a long time ago now ..! ..but as for technical advice .. defo the man to talk to is Owen .. aka "dog" on the forum He is a very technicaley minded fella ... & very helpfull ....
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Post by dog on May 6, 2010 23:31:42 GMT
The difficult and important issue with treadmills is always going to be getting them to run freely, it's difficult to get a belt type mill to run freely purely because of the large area of contact between the belt and the 'bed' that lies below and supports it. Every time your dog puts it's feet down it increases the weight on the belt and therefore the friction between it and the bed. The bigger the belt/bed contact area the more friction there will be and even small dogs need quite a long bed to run comfortably on.
A dog might run for a short while on a mill that is not free running but it will quickly tire of it. It's a bit like pushing a car, you might do it for a short while but you'll soon be blowing hard and wanting to stop.
Personally I prefer either a slat mill which is free running but you pay the price (literally) of them being expensive, bulky, bloody noisy and it's possible that dogs can catch the nails in the slats and rip them off or convert a belt type mill which is specifically made for dogs to electrically driven. I used one of JJbulls' mills and it's very nicely made, bomproof construction and well designed (sadly no longer available) and then I converted it using a 3/4 hp 240v motor set up via pulleys and a belt to run at 6mph. The one thing that is difficult/expensive to do is fit a speed control which I didn't bother with.
I managed to set the belt up (rather more by luck than design) so the drive roller slips against the belt like a clutch when there is pressure on it, this means that if you switch it on and the dog is on it it won't move, as soon as the dog starts to move the belt gets up to speed pretty quickly. All the dog has to do then is keep up with the belt and doesn't need to input any energy to keep the belt moving.
You can buy purpose made electric dog treadmills but they are very expensive.
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Post by jjbulls on May 7, 2010 20:32:32 GMT
Hi Owen .. i remeber it was our little joke ..." proffessor Owen" well you are the Top man & defo the man with the most constructive influence of any man i know ...!
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Post by owasocourin on May 7, 2010 20:57:41 GMT
jj he was like that as a kid....'mental'! I have alot of Owens machines and there all bomb proof and will last a bloody life time, proud to call him bruv!
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Post by dog on May 7, 2010 21:46:02 GMT
*blush* Thanks people. All I have to do now is convince people I'm not autistic lol...which I'm not BTW, I'm just a bit odd lol.
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Post by oldetyme on May 7, 2010 22:47:27 GMT
i have a very good greyhoung electric mill with varable speed and very powerful motor, like dog say's, they are good but very expensive, but certainly helps to shape a dog for those that will run on one.
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Post by Griffa on May 7, 2010 23:31:14 GMT
thanx a lot for all the advise i rekon ill put it back on ebsy and save my pennys then thanx again every one
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