How to get rid of a treadmill or other exercise equipment

Not all treadmills are the same job. A folding treadmill with a lock is manageable for two people. A heavy, non-folding machine with a big motor housing is another story. Ellipticals, rowers, spin bikes and weight benches all fall somewhere in between.

Look for a label or the owner's manual to learn the weight and whether the deck folds and locks. Note where it is: a garage floor, a ground-floor bedroom, or upstairs. That decides most of what comes next.

Then ask whether it still works. A working machine has options a broken one doesn't: selling it, donating it or handing it to a friend. One with a dead motor or a torn belt is usually headed for disposal, and it's fine to skip straight to that step.

Unplug it and pull the safety key. If it folds, fold it and make sure the lock catches. Most machines come apart with hex keys or a socket set. The console and side arms usually come off first, which makes the frame narrower and easier to carry.

Bag the bolts and tape the bag to the frame if someone else might use it. Watch for pinch points on folding decks and loose cables at the console. Weight plates, dumbbells and kettlebells should come off and go out separately. They're small but dense, and they add up fast.

Stairs are where people get hurt. A treadmill is top-heavy and has no good handholds. Use two people at least, keep the heavy end downhill, and go one step at a time. A dolly helps on flat ground but not on stairs.

Protect the walls and the floor at every turn. If it doesn't fit, take more off before you force it. Clear the path first: roll up rugs, prop doors fully open and take a door off its hinges if it's in the way. Wear closed-toe shoes and gloves with good grip. If you'd be moving it alone, don't. Garage gyms are easier on access, but a full rack, bench and plate set can still be a lot of weight to move.

If you can get it to the curb, city pickup may be the lowest-cost route. The hard part is getting it there, since city crews collect from the curb, not from inside the house. College Station defines bulky items as furniture, appliances without freon, and anything too large for the garbage cart. Set it out by 8 a.m. on collection day, apart from any brush. Bryan collects brush and bulky items such as furniture and appliances once a week, Monday through Friday. Set it out by 7 a.m. (6 a.m. June through August), no more than 48 hours early, and five feet from fences, cars and meters.

Neither city names treadmills by name, so call if you're unsure. Navasota has no curbside bulky pickup. Residents bring up to 4 bulky items per load to the Recycle Center on Fifth Street on Saturdays.

A working treadmill can find a new home. Local buy-and-sell groups move exercise gear all the time, especially in January. If you list it, say plainly whether it's folded, where it is and whether the buyer has to carry it down the stairs.

Donation is worth a call too. College Station asks residents to donate usable items before putting them at the curb. Call ahead, though. Many donation centers have rules about large or electric items, and few will carry one out of an upstairs room. If it's broken, be honest about that up front. Nobody wants to haul a dead treadmill home.

If it's upstairs, too heavy for the people you have, or one piece of a whole home gym, that's when a crew earns its keep. With ME3 White Glove, Eddie and Matthew take it from wherever it sits, including upstairs rooms, and take it apart when it needs to come apart. If you've already got it to the driveway, ME3 Express is the lower-cost route. Commercial gym equipment is handled under ME3 Specialty and quoted on scope.

Weight, stairs and disassembly all affect the price, and you'll know the number before anything is loaded. See furniture and exercise equipment removal and pricing. Local pages for furniture removal in Bryan and furniture removal in College Station cover the in-town details.