The electric treadmill motor, even though it is not visible, is the heart and soul of the machine. Being the prime mover of the whole treadmill assembly, it carries the most work so to speak especially if the user is of heavy build. Hence, you should ensure that the motor that makes your treadmill run is of good quality. Poor quality treadmill motors tend to overheat and fail leading to high costs of repair or replacement. If you are a serious treadmill user, you could be logging in numerous miles and hours on the machine. For that, you will surely need a good quality treadmill motor to meet your demands. This can be compounded if there would be multiple serious users for a single machine. Hence, you should ensure that the motor can take the load with great ease. One good indication of a high quality motor is the length of the manufacturer warranty. The longer the warranty period, the better the quality of the motor in most cases. It is just an exercise of common wit actually. Try to ask yourself this: If the manufacturer is not so sure of their baby, will they offer longer warranty periods or any at all? If the manufacturer does not offer any warranty or if it did, only for a few days, then you should start to get wary of its quality.

Another thing to consider is to look at the specifications of the motor. The specifications are usually found on the sticker on the motor casing itself or in the treadmill manual or user guide. You should look for the power rating which is usually in horsepower or hp. Higher power rating means the motor can take on heavy loads for longer sustained periods without overheating. But the downside is that it may tend to consume more power. Usually, the ratings are usually in the range of 1hp up to 3hp. Hence, it would be a safer bet to opt for those who have at least 1.5hp rating. However, if you are a serious exerciser who wants to log in hours of running or if you are the type who likes to sprint or if the treadmill is to be used with multiple users in succession, you should opt for at least 2hp. Keep in mind that the more powerful the electric treadmill, the higher the price tag it will tend to carry.

That being said, for your normal needs at home, you should choose a belt with at least a 2-ply rating. There may be some brands who have 1-ply belts especially the cheap ones. I would suggest to avoid those. Fortunately, most famous brands have made the quality of their treadmill belts of good quality with moderate to high resistance against snapping and rapid wear and tear. A 2-ply belt comes usually as a standard in many of their models these days even with the lower priced models. There are also models which have 3-ply belt ratings or more especially with the high-end brands.

Belt width should also be factored in. A wider belt tends to be the better bet most of the time. Narrow treadmill belts tend to constrict the movement of your lower limbs which can make you uneasy as you jog or run on the treadmill equipment. In most situations, an 18-inch wide belt may suffice. Please note that the wider the belt, the price of the electric treadmill tends to go higher due to the wider frame it would need to accommodate the belt.

Belt length should not be neglected. A person with longer lower limbs tend to have a longer motion range as he or she jogs on the belt surface. In most cases, an electric treadmill belt length of 4 feet can be adequate for persons of average height. However though, taller individuals might need more than 4 feet of belt length in order to accommodate their limb motions. One good way to measure if you would be comfortable with the length of the treadmill belt is to do some actual testing. Most shops selling these are will be more than glad to give you a test run.