DIY Home Gym Equipment Repair 1


If it broke, don’t throw it away!! Most exercise equipment is made out of steel and can be repaired. My example today is a piece that broke on one of my friend’s gym equipment. Read more to see how we fixed his and find out how you can fix your own.

The piece of gym equipment that broke was an older Total Gym for which parts are no longer available for. So this machine sat dormant for many months because he didn’t want to throw it away but didn’t know where or who to ask about getting it fixed. He didn’t want to buy a new unit because in his experience the units sold today are made cheaply and are usually imports.

On top of that, I didn’t realize how expensive these machines are until I just looked them up. Almost $1k to replace it, no wonder he didn’t want to go buy a new one:

In this case, he brought the piece to me and I welded it up for him, but in your case if you have a little time to spare and the tools from my other article:  ‘How to get started welding for less than $250’, you can fix this yourself in a jiffy.

Weld Repair Total Gym

For visual reference, the part he brought to me that cracked is the part with pulleys attached to it circled in the picture above.

First, we chuck it up in the vice and take a mental note of all the cracks. He got it to me before it completely broke so I don’t have to spend time lining everything back up.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Cracked, torn, and bent on one side.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Cracked on the other side.

Next, step is to grind out the welds and grind off the chrome (or paint) that will be close to the weld. I then bent the piece back into shape as best I could.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Bent back as close as I could get it with a vice and a hammer.

Roll out the welder and weld up the cracks.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Welded inside but ground flush with a grinder because it has to slide over the main post.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Side one welded up.

Weld Repair Total Gym

Side 2 welded up.

Viola! A fixed up piece of gym equipment that will last at least another 20 years. It is now STRONGER than how it came from the factory. I spent a total of no more than one hour on this project which includes me dragging all of my tools out and cleaning up after.

Some of this stuff is really easy to fix and it is a shame to see lots of products going to the landfill that could otherwise be put back to work with a little elbow grease.

So go get that broken machine out of the basement, fix it, and put it to work!


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