FullCirclePadding.com shares top tips on how to stay proactive in your equipment care.
Beat your members from notifying you. Schedule a proactive equipment-check once or twice a month for your strength equipment. Most issues with cables, padding and handle grips can be recognized with some simple steps to follow before they make it to a point of a stressful situation or a down piece of equipment.
Cables on your strength and free weight units need to be routinely checked. Place the selector weight stack pin in the top plate and remove your cable attachments. Pull that cable down or over your pullies 3 to 4 feet so you can visually see the complete cable. Look for any cracks in the nylon jacket. If there are cracks look closely for any broken fragments of cable. These are important steps to catch a cable before it could break. An unusual look is a twisted cable, like a candy cane — it almost looks like the cable is stretching. That is a sign of the cable breaking inside the nylon coating. The machine should be put out of order and the cable should be replaced immediately.
Ripped, torn or cracked padding on strength equipment can be the most irritating for your members. Early detection of cracks can give you time to order that new pad before it’s too late or your member has to tell you. The funny thing is it can be the easiest items to keep up with, and sometimes it can be just a wear cover — replace those for a fraction of the cost of a new pad. Simple scheduled checks of each of your pieces of equipment can be done quickly and ripped pads can be detected before they get to the “we need to replace this pad tomorrow stage.”
Many manufacturers today use rubber handle grips. When they are new the grips have a nice feel, but rubber is a porous material that body sweat can permeate. You will notice this on your equipment checks when your grips are sticky, loose or have black goop coming out of the ends. When needed they should be replaced with soft PVC handle grips that have a textured surface. PVC is an extremely durable and, most importantly, non-porous material. Hammer Strength has used these types of grips for many years, and they are the most durable grips on the market. The most important tip is cleaning all that old grip and goop remnants off the grip handle bars before installing your new grips. If not prepped properly your new grips will not install correctly.
Be sure to organize all your strength pieces with a number system or a barcode sticker so you can keep record of your units and there is never confusion. Being reactive to your maintenance issues can cost your facility more money, loss of time and unhappy users. Some very simple scheduled equipment evaluations can create a positive environment for everyone.
FullCirclePadding.com is a full-service website for the fitness industry with replacement pads, cables, parts and accessories for any name brand. You can reach our customer service at cs@fullcirclepadding.com.
