Elliptical trainers are a low-impact piece of exercise equipment that can help you get in shape without hurting your back or knees. While you may love your elliptical every other day of the year, it may be a different story come moving day—elliptical trainers are heavy and bulky, which can make them especially difficult to pack and move. If you’re not careful and you try to move and ship large items like an elliptical trainer without taking the proper precautions, you can not only cause yourself possible injury, but you can also end up breaking the equipment itself.
By taking a few steps to prep your elliptical machine for moving, you may find it easier and safer for you, the machine, and any other belongings in your moving truck.
1. Disassemble it
Before you start disassembling your elliptical trainer, power it down and unplug it. Then, you can start breaking it down into individual components.
Disassembling your elliptical as much as possible will make it much easier to pack and move. Most elliptical machines can be easily broken down into smaller pieces. With a few simple tools, you can remove each of the handles, as well as the foot pedals. Place any screws or smaller components into sealed and labelled plastic bag. Once you've disassembled any removable parts, remove the upright support bar that typically contains the electrical controls and sensors. This will leave you with the main base of the elliptical as one large item.
| PACKING TIP: Take pictures as you disassemble your elliptical machine to make it easier to reassemble at your new home. |
If you can't disassemble your elliptical trainer, secure the handlebars and pedals with strong rope or straps so they don't shift when lifted. Once you've secured any moving parts, wrap the entire machine in moving blankets, then secure the blankets in place using packing tape.
2. Protect it with padding
Now that everything is broken down, you can add protective padding to each piece. This will help ensure the pieces don’t get scratched or damaged during transport.
- Unless you have the original box and packaging materials, it may be easier to wrap larger pieces such as the main base and the support bar in moving blankets.
- For the other items, you can use bubble wrap or other types of packing materials to provide added protection.
- Take extra care when wrapping the the electrical controls and console.
- Secure protective materials with packing tape.
3. Box it up
If you want to put all the parts into one box, make sure you start with the main base since it is the largest and heaviest. Next, add the upright support bar, and then the smaller items where they will fit. Fill any empty space with bubble wrap, crumpled packing paper, or other shipping materials to prevent the pieces from shifting, rubbing together, or getting bumped around in transit. If it's easier, you can box up smaller components like foot pedals, and move the rest of your elliptical machine as is—as long as it's wrapped securely in moving blankets.
Once everything is in place, seal the box properly with packing tape so that it won’t come open during the move.
4. Load it onto your truck
If you’re a DIYer, you can load your equipment onto your moving truck using a dolly or hand truck. It should be centered on the dolly, and in a position to fit through any doors. Once it's been loaded onto the truck make sure to secure it to the truck using moving straps so that it doesn’t slide around or damage your other items.
If you'd rather not deal with the hassle of boxing it up, loading, and unloading it yourself, you can always leave it to the experts:
About the author: Stephanie Rosenlund is the Director of Strategic Solutions at TSI, the long distance move and shipment provider for thousands of businesses, families, and individuals every year. Stephanie knows all the tips and tricks to make your move or shipment simple and specializes in freight shipping and interstate relocations. In her free time, she loves exploring the world with her husband and two kids.
