It’s not everyday that I find myself yearning to build a treadmill dolly. In fact, a treadmill dolly is not even really a thing. But a while back I bought one of those trendy, super flat treadmills and things got complicated. We don’t have a dedicated workout space in the house (I exercise in the library) so I figured that having a treadmill that would be easy to store would be the best thing ever. I could walk or jog while watching tv or listening to an audiobook and then just slip it under the couch or something. (Spoiler alert–this thing does not slide well on carpet/rugs and doesn’t fit under couches.)
The reviews had elderly women moving this thing around with ease, so clearly I could handle it right?? Eh…not quite. This thing is still super heavy at just under 70 pounds, has no hand grips, and has wheels that only allow it to move forward and backward. It’s wide enough that it barely fits through a standard doorway if your hands are in juuuust the right place. Since I had to pull it around a tight corner there was no way to easily get it lined up to go through the doorway. Basically I just stood it on end and walked it forward by scooting one corner after the other a few inches at a time.
That got old pretty quick, so I decided to build a treadmill dolly with caster wheels to easily move this thing around! This one is designed to fit behind a door as shown in the picture below, but you can easily modify it to fit the dimensions of your storage area.
Measure your space and cut plywood
If you’re storing the treadmill behind a door, measure the area behind the door by sticking a measuring tape through the gap between the door and the hinge while the door is open. This is the absolute maximum amount of space you’ll have. Subtract 1/4″ for clearance just to be on the safe side.
Also measure the widest point of the treadmill and add about 3″. The sides of the dolly will take up an 1″ and that leaves an inch of wiggle room on each side when putting the treadmill on the dolly. Obviously you’ll also want this measurement to be smaller than the width of the door you’re storing it behind.
Cut the bottom piece out of 3/4″ plywood or lumber with the full dimensions of the space. Mine ended up being 4 5/8″ x 26 1/4″. The side pieces are 1/2″ plywood and 4″ high.
Build treadmill dolly platform
To build the treadmill dolly, glue the side pieces together first. (Ignore the pocket holes–they didn’t work out.)
Once dry, apply glue to the bottom of the sides and attach to the base.
After that has dried, flip the assembly over and secure the bottom to the sides with brad nails.
Test out the caster wheels
Once your wooden box is assembled, take your caster wheels and duct tape them to the bottom. This allows you to roll the dolly around to see how it works. I originally tried to use bigger wheels but they made the dolly too wobbly. Use the smallest wheels possible while still meeting the weight requirements.
Because I originally planned out everything using the larger wheels, the smaller wheels meant that the dolly no longer cleared the baseboard. This blocked the door from opening. Uh oh!
To solve this, we can add a spacer block before attaching the casters.
Attach casters to dolly bottom
Once you’re happy with your caster wheel placement, screw them into the base of the dolly. If you need to elevate the dolly to clear the baseboard, add small blocks of plywood to get it to the right height.
Here’s a closer look at the attached caster wheels. My screws go through the plywood block and into the plywood base.
Test the finished treadmill dolly
Now that the wheels are on, make sure the dolly fits properly behind the door. Notice how it now perfectly clears the baseboard!
The dolly is sitting flush against the wall and the door can fully open.
Attach magnetic wall bracket
The dolly alone isn’t enough to keep the treadmill upright behind the door. My treadmill came with super strong magnets with a sticky foam backing. I scraped off the foam and super-glued the magnets to a piece of wood the same width as the dolly. It’s easiest if you put the magnets on the treadmill, add the glue, and then place the wood. This ensures the magnets are spaced correctly on the bracket.
Once the glue dries, put the treadmill on the dolly and push it against the wall. Mark where the wooden bracket (still attached to the treadmill) hits the wall. Then move the treadmill out of the way and attach the bracket to the wall. If you don’t have studs in a good spot, be sure to use screws with strong anchors.
*Note: I tried the magnets directly on the wall when I first got the treadmill and they eventually pulled off.
Store your treadmill!
Now that you’ve built your treadmill dolly, it’s time to store your treadmill! Enjoy being able to wheel that heavy sucker wherever you want 🙂
Tip: If your treadmill tips the dolly forward when you push it toward the magnets, just slip a block of wood under middle of the dolly all the way against the wall.
It’s so nice to be able to move this treadmill around without hassle now. Lifting it onto the dolly is still challenging, so I may cut some wood pieces to make a little ramp and save my back, but this is already a huge improvement.
This project was a little annoying since my pocket holes didn’t work, my first caster wheels didn’t work, the new caster wheels made it too short, and a slew of other minor annoyances, but I was stubborn and stuck it out. Now that I’ve made all the mistakes, hopefully you can make this quickly and painlessly!
