This short story is more or less a continuation of my parallel bars short story and I will copy and paste some of the information.

REASON FOR THE CROSS TRAINER FOR HOME USAGE

Since the coronavirus outbreak worldwide, many places are still closed and for health and safety reasons, we decided to forgo the outpatient physical therapy at the Anson Health and Rehabilitation Facility here in Wadesboro, NC.  They are still allowing outpatient therapy, but will not allow others into the facility for visits, etc.

However, various venders are entering the facility as well as staff and there still is a chance of bringing the COVID 19 into or out of the facility, although there hasn't been any reported cases of the coronavirus yet. Our town has recently reported nine (9) cases of the coronavirus which is very low compared to other towns.  An employee at the McDonalds drive through window recently tested positive for the coronavirus and the facility closed for a day of sanitizing/cleaning the place and then reopened the following day.

Currently as of 05-13-2020, there are 39 confirmed cases of the coronavirus here in Anson County, NC.  McDonalds drive thru employee and an IGA employee tested positive and no telling how many they have spread the coronavirus too.

UPDATE:  There have been 556 reported cases and 4 deaths as of 09-23-2020.

All four (4) physical therapy facilities my bride has used in the past, basically use the same type of exercises depending on what level of therapy is needed and standardized machines for working out the various parts of the body needing attention.  I have a hyperlink to the Carolina's Rehabilitation that was in Monroe and currently closed with that staff transferred to other facilities within the Atrium Healthcare Network which the short story details their therapy department, machines and staff. 

The last health care facility my bride has used being, the Anson Health and Rehabilitation Facility located here in Wadesboro, NC has professional staff from the House Keeping, CNAs, RNs, Physical Therapy Staff to the Administrator.  The facility is very clean and has given my bride outstanding care!  My bride's only complaint when a patient there from August 26, 2019 to November 20, 2019; the adjustable hospital bed's mattress gave very little support allowing the beds cross member support to dig into her back!  We never did get that issue resolved while she was there.

After nearly fourteen (14) years (off and on) of attending physical therapy with my bride, I feel extremely confident in assisting her with home physical therapy with her personal HEALTH, SAFETY and WELFARE being PARAMOUNT!

NC Governor Roy Cooper issued a stay at home order on March 27, 2020 in effect until April 29, 2020 and that depends on the status of the virus outbreak.  Therefore, to continue physical therapy with as little risk as possible to the coronavirus, I decided to build a parallel bars set tailored just for my bride aka Joyce and not adjustable for anyone else and purchase a recumbent cross trainer.

ORDERED THE LXT CROSS TRAINER FROM HCI

I did some on line research of different recumbent cross trainer machines and compared them against the NuStep T4R (of which the NuStep T4R appears to be the benchmark for recumbent cross training machines) that most of the physical therapy facilities here in North Carolina use, of which my bride has used them as well.  I decided on the PhysioStep LXT Recumbent Cross Trainer from HCI (Healthcare International) located in Langley, Washington for several advantages versus the NuStep T4R.  I received information from Gregory Safadago, Product Development Manager via email and later talked with him on his cell phone, of which I call all cell phones Obamaphones.

I placed the order on April 7, 2020 and the machine was delivered via Southeastern Freight Lines the afternoon of April 16, 2020 at the J J Haines Company adjacent Highway 74E since our home is located on a dead end street and there is no room for a tractor/trailer to turn around.  Kevin Williams the truck driver and myself off loaded the machine onto the bed of my little Ranger Ford pick-up truck.  The tractor/trailer had a power lift, therefore it wasn't too much trouble to slide the 255 lb. pallet/crate onto my truck bed. 

UNLOADING THE CRATED CROSS TRAINER

As evidenced by the above pix, the cross trainer shipping container about filled up the bed of "little red" and had to think outside the box just a little to unload the machine without danger of damaging it.

Below are a series of thumbnail pixs detailed the unloading and unpacking the cross trainer.  Click on each thumbnail pix for a larger screen view.

Our youngest daughter Lisa, said after viewing the pixs above, she was expecting the little red truck's front end to raise off the ground!

UNPACKING THE CROSS TRAINER

This is no doubt one of the best packaged shipments I have ever received. 

GETTING THE MACHINE INSIDE VIA THE WHEELCHAIR RAMP

I remember reading that the LXT cross trainer had wheels on it to assist in moving the machine around, however pulling the cross trainer up the incline ramp was about more than I could muster.  I have pulled deer about as heavy out of the woods, e.g., uphill and downhill, but there seemed to be a lot more drag on this machine. 

After dragging the machine to the level porch area, I looked underneath the forward portion of the machine and noticed there were two (2) machine supports that had hard rubber feet/pads for leveling the machine as needed.  The light bulb quickly came on as to why there was so much drag aka resistance in pulling the machine; only two wheels instead of four!

The cross trainer weighs 210 lbs assembled, yet felt like 500 lbs. trying to navigate the inclined ramp.

I believe I know how Paul Bunyan's blue Ox Babe felt when he was dragging those humongous trees out of the forest.  

NOTE:  With the construction of the parallel bars for my bride, I ordered a medium walnut stain and received a stain color called ox blood.  I guess they knew that an ox would be using the stain and/or bleeding like one....another grin is in order!

I later related to our Pastor Sam Abee, Wadesboro Church of God about pulling the cross trainer up the inclined ramp and he said, that he got a mental image of an Egyptian taskmaster with a whip over the Hebrew slaves, whereas we both had a good laugh!

I had earlier asked Brother Abee about using his youngest son Daniel who is strong as a mule to help and he said just give them a call, but I wanted the challenge I guess......not too smart HUH?

PLAN B IN MOVING THE CROSS TRAINER

With all the effort and energy spent in moving the cross trainer about thirty (30) feet, I had to find some way to "work smarter, not harder" of which I have been working harder, not smarter.

I knew that a furniture moving dolly would be the ticket for moving this heavy machine, however I didn't have access to one and while they are fairly inexpensive, I didn't want to wait around and order one.

I figured that my hand truck would work in the horizontal position and it took some serious maneuvering to get the cross trainer onto the hand truck due to the height of the hand truck platform off the floor, but I finally got the cross trainer onto the hand truck.  Furniture moving dollies are three or four inches off the floor for ease of getting underneath the item being moved.

I could not use the hand truck in a normal fashion due to the location of the frame and the exterior housing being synthetic.

This was definitely a two (2) man job at the least for sure! 

I did lose a little blood during the process of loading the cross trainer onto the hand truck:

Looks like I am missing a thumb, however it is there somewhere!

MOVING THE CROSS TRAINER INSIDE

I had to remove the door from the door jamb to get the cross trainer into the physical therapy room that once was a small bed room and currently being used as a dressing and storage room for my bride.  The door jamb to jamb was barely 30 inches inside with the door removed!

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Above pix of the bolts, instruction manual, tools and the parts needing assembly.

Everything went along real well; my bride reading off the instructions step by step.  I have learned over the decades, she is better at putting things together, because she reads and follows the instructions step by step, whereas a man, (speaking of myself) reads the instructions when everything else fails.  However, I have gotten much better over the years reading the instructions FIRST!

Many years ago, when we were assembling a swing set for our Huneycutt grand boys, my bride was reading off the instructions and I was assembling the parts.  All of a sudden she burst out into a humongous laugh and she told me to look at the last arm on the swing set that I had just finished and it was upside down and we both gave a loud grin for sure.  I do believe I have a small amount of dyslexia, although what I described does not adequately fit the clinical definition, seeing things backwards sometimes and writing a string of numbers backwards!  Oh well, we all can't be perfect!

ASSEMBLY GLITCH

There was one problem with four (4) of the bolt holes in the right moving handle not aligning with the threaded holes in the base of the machine as evidenced by the pix below.

There was no way the two members would align up with all eight (8) bolts in place.  Therefore, I drilled the moving handle (top two holes and bottom two holes) just enough where you could insert the bolts.  It appeared someone didn't align the moving handle tube into the punch/die set properly during the manufacturing process, because the N to S holes were misaligned the same amount in relationship to the lower drilled and threaded support member it was to be bolted to.  I contacted HCI and sent them a pix and it was ok to drill the holes, of which I drilled the holes and finished the assembly before sending an email.  Gregory Safadago, Product Development Manager offered to replace the moving handle, but advised him it wasn't necessary, since what little amount of material I removed from the right moving handle didn't affect the integrity of said unit.

There is a 50/50 chance the culprit is the threaded holes in the right base support member instead of the right moving handle, whereas the right moving handle was easy to correct!

After getting everything connected and bolted together, my bride decided she wanted to do a little re-arranging (sounds familiar) where the cross trainer and the parallel bars would rest.  She liked the parallel bars near the far wall and the cross trainer adjacent to it and still had enough room for her side to side leg exercises on the parallel bars.

My bride gave it a good "field test" and she can get back on her regular physical therapy routine here at home.  This machine is much larger than it looks in the above pix.

In summation, this machine offers plenty of adjustable electro mechanical resistance, ergonomically designed and well constructed!  The large display has easy to follow programs/settings and I used the "fat burn" program for 20 minutes with a 3 minute cool down mode and really got an excellent workout.

TRIP TO THE LANDFILL

I just about had a truck load with the shipping pallet and packing materials.

In closing, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for allowing my bride to be with me and I give Him, the Praise, Honor and Glory in all things!

NOISE LEVEL OF THE MACHINE HAS INCREASED

During the past few weeks, I noticed that the noise level of the cross trainer has increased giving some type of mechanical popping/clanking sound.  I made a .mp3 recording of the machine while doing a workout, of which you could hear the mechanical belt drive turning, a mechanical popping sound like metal on metal and also my sneakers squeaking too.......grin if you must.

I sent Brooks Safadago of HCI an email at their service link email address with the above information and an attachment of the .mp3 file on June 17, 2020 but have not heard back from them yet.

I filled out an on line warranty claim form with the problem being experienced and will see what type of response I receive. 

The audio .mp3 file is hyperlinked here.

NOTE:  During my workout today, I didn't notice the noise level as bad, but the popping/clanking sound is still there!

NOTE:  Contacted Brooks Safadago via telephone with HCI service department and he is arranging for someone to contact me via telephone and come out and make the required adjustments at their expense since the machine is still under warranty.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-02-2020.

NATIONAL SERVICE CORP

Jay Lowery with the National Service Corp. came by on Friday 07-24-2020 around mid-day to check the cross trainer out.  I used the cross trainer the night before and it was making the usual mechanical popping/clanking sound, but as would have it when I used the machine for Jay, it was about as quiet as a church mouse.....grin if you must!  That is the way things normal go in maintenance of which I have experienced first hand many times while working with the North Carolina Telephone Company and with the North Carolina Department of Correction aka NCDPS.

Jay took the cover off the machine, of which he had to remove the right and left arm and the entire seat bracket/holder in order to expose the internal workings of the machine.

Jay checked for the obvious trouble; e.g., movement in the flywheel and it was "tight as two coats of paint."

Jay appears to be doing some mental calculations at the moment!

Pix of the other side of the machine.

Jay did find some lateral movement of the axle from this side of the machine which had a little play in it which duplicated the sounds I have been hearing and tightened a nut and/or set screw, however when the machine was put back together, you could still hear the sounds, but on a much weaker scale.

Our only Grand Daughter Lily Danielle Gonzales was in the hallway watching Jay take the cross trainer apart and quiet as a church mouse, which is very unusual for sure.  My bride later related to me that Miss Lily came into her rec. room and stated, "Maw Maw, the bicycle is broke" with the palms of her hands upward and out in front of her at waist height and looking intently into my bride's eyes not batting an eye.

Jay said he would discuss the issue with Brooks Safadago, Service & Product Manager at HCI, however he didn't think what I was hearing would effect the machine.

Jay Lowery was knowledgeable of this type of equipment, good positive attitude and enjoyed chatting with him.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-25-2020. 

MACHINE STILL NOISY

I emailed Brooks Safadago with an audio file of the machine while in use this evening 07-28-2020 and he replied, "I looked further into this and the bolts that are holding the axle onto the flywheel most likely need to be tightened.  I’ll get a tech back out ASAP with instructions."

I appreciate HCI standing behind their product and the service after the sale is very important to the consumer!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-28-2020.

I looked further into this and the bolts that are holding the axle onto the flywheel most likely need to be tightened.

I’ll get a tech back out ASAP with instructions.

GOCONFIGURE.COM

Brooks send me a video clip of the procedure he sent to the service tech hyperlinked here.

I received an email from HCI with a service appointment scheduled for 08-14-2020 from 1PM to 5PM and Stephen Roosevelt of goconfigure.com arrived and tightened one bolt, however it did not fix the problem.  Stephen emailed Brooks Safadago of HCI a short video clip of the popping/clanking sound, of which is intermittent and louder at times.

NOTE:  I tested the cross trainer for Stephen prior to him working on said machine and it was quiet, however within a few minutes it started the popping/clanking sound.

As stated, the adjustment did not solve the issue with the cross trainer and Stephen did not adjust the flange bolts per the video Brooks sent, of which Stephen had apparently seen.

Below is a pix of Stephen Roosevelt:

SEAT, COVER AND ARMS OFF CROSS TRAINER AGAIN

With no success so far solving the noise issue with the cross trainer, I emailed Brooks Safadago, Service & Product Manager at HCI  and asked if I could take a look at the cross trainer, of which he gave the go ahead on 08-17-2020.

Stephen Roosevelt when he checked the cross trainer out, did not tighten the three (3) or four (4) bolts that held the circular "flange" plate to the flywheel as instructed by Brooks via a video clip that is hyperlinked several paragraphs above.  Stephen tightened a socket head bolt using an Allen wrench at another place near the plate mentioned.

In order to tighten the three or four bolts (can't remember how many); CRS stuff for sure; on the flange to the flywheel, the 5MM Allen wrench supplied with the machine tool kit had to be cut down due to the small space to access the bolts.  You also had to use a 10MM open end wrench on the back side of the flywheel in order to tighten the bolts.

Even with the cut down Allen wrench, it was a little challenging getting the Allen wrench onto the bolts, because with the cover only lifted upwards, the flywheel would only rotate so far due to the lower arm member supports hitting the cross trainer cover/housing.  It would have been better to remove the petals and the entire cover.

It would be much easier for a two man operation to hold the nut on the back of the flywheel while the other person tightened the bolt with an extension to the Allen wrench to get more leverage.

I checked for any discernable movement of the linkage arms to the flywheel and it was nil.

The cross trainer cover was put back in place and the retaining screw clips can be a "dawg" to align and one or two of the clips came off the metal bracket that is welded to the main frame of the machine.  Using an awl, it helped align the cover holes to the retaining screw clips and had to turn the cross trainer on its side to get the two back retaining clips in alignment with the cover.  The machine weights a little over 200 pounds and for a 74 year old fat man, it was definitely challenging to say the least.

With the arms, cover and seat back in place, I tested the cross trainer using the "Fat Burn" program and the popping/clanking noise was still present.  I got off the seat and stood on the floor and used the arms only and the noise was still there eliminating the seat area.

DON'T LIKE BEING WHIPPED

I tested the machine again on the morning of 08-28-2020 without sitting on the machine to start the program display and moved the arms of the cross trainer back and forth slightly and the mechanical popping/clanking noise was generated as when actually using the machine.  The arm would actually oscillate back and forth for a second or two when released which probably is normal!

Here is an audio recording of what was heard.

I relayed the above info to Brooks Safadago via email and will let his service technicians go from here.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 08-18-2020

LATEST INFO FROM BROOKS SAFADAGO

Thank you for reaching out to me again I want to get the best technician possible to your house let me look into the most qualified people in your area.  I am going to review the video with Heidi, is it still making the noise at the lower resistance levels or just the higher settings?  If the tech cannot fix it I can get a plan of action set for resolution.

RECEIVED PARTS FROM HCI

Above email received on 08-24-2020 and received a package with parts from HCI on 09-01-2020 and waiting on a service technician to replace/install said parts.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-05-2020.

EMAILED BROOKS FOR AN UPDATE ON REPAIRS

Brooks,

It has been a week today since I received the LXT parts for the service technician.  Anything on a date set to effect the repairs?  The weeks just keep rolling on by; time waits for no one.

Later,

Bill

REPLY FROM BROOKS HCI

Getting back in the saddle here I want to have a tech come to you to troubleshoot this.  I must have deleted your address for the service tech please remind me.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-08-2020.

REPLY FROM BROOKS HCI 09-09-2020

Thank you I am getting in touch with a tech ASAP I appreciate all of your help.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-11-2020.

SERVICE TECHNICIAN ARRIVED 09-22-2020

Jay Lowery arrived on 09-22-2020 at 12:33 P.M. and worked on the cross trainer for a good hour.  Jay loosened and tightened a couple Allen set screws on each side of the flywheel axle after determining that the probable noise was coming from the flywheel since he could duplicate the popping/clanking sound pretty close to what we have been experiencing by applying lateral pressure to the flywheel. 

As stated earlier, this problem has been intermittent and evidenced by the audio recordings that I have made and emailed to Brooks Safadago, Service & Product Manager at HCI.

I gave the cross trainer a test run and it was working very well when Jay put the machine back together and not making the popping/clanking mechanical sounds as before.  I believe Jay sent Brooks a video of testing the machine after it was put back together.

Hopefully, this will have fixed the problem and will have to wait and hear, of which I am optimistic for sure.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-22-2020.

CROSS TRAINER STILL NOISY 10-07-2020

I emailed Brooks Brooks Safadago of HCI concerning the noise with a copy and paste below:

Brooks

I used the cross trainer this morning, the first time of usage since Jay Lowery made the last adjustments on 09-22-2020 and the machine is still making the mechanical noise.

I am attaching an audio file of the machine in use this morning, of which the cross trainer kept making the noise until I stopped.

The adjustment(s) Jay made tightening the bolts on the axle did not solve the issue….we both know the noise issue is intermittent!

Please advise what your next action will be to solve this issue?

Later,

Bill

Click on the above sound icon for the .mp3 audio file of the mechanical popping/clanking sound from the cross trainer.  The sound is certainly distracting and takes the pleasure away from using the machine.  Whatever is causing the intermittent popping/clanking sound, the cross trainer no doubt will eventually fail when it is out of warranty.  That is the way things normally happen.  Murphy's Law never sleeps!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-07-2020.

EMAILED BROOKS AGAIN ON 10-14-2020

Brooks,

What is the latest on trying to get the cross trainer quiet?

It has been a week since I sent you the below email. I would appreciate it if you would at least give some kind of response.

Later,

Bill

EMAIL FROM HEIDI FYALL

Hi Bill -

I am taking over for Brooks on this. Can you please let me know your serial number and how old the unit is?

Heidi

Heidi Fyall
Director of Sales & Marketing

EMAIL FROM HEIDI FYALL

Thank you, I pulled up this report.

We think that the cogs have become unaligned on this unit.

Once more a tech from National Service Corp will schedule to tighten the COGS and we hope this solves the issue all together. They will be scheduling with you.

Brooks is out of the office with a medical issue at this time so Greg and I are the best contacts for now.

Thanks for your patience on this!

Heidi

Heidi Fyall
Director of Sales & Marketing

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-16-2020.

NATIONAL SERVICE CORP

Drew Lowery of National Service Corp came by at around 11:30 AM on 10-30-2020 to service the cross trainer.

Drew did some serious maintenance on the machine and the popping/clanking sound was noticeable this time.  Drew was also able to duplicate the mechanical popping/clanking sound by moving the flywheel laterally when the machine "decided" to be quiet, since this problem is intermittent.

One of the issues found was the rubber stops for the transfer bars would make a light pop sound upon contact and release of the transfer bar, however that was not the mechanical popping/clanking noise we have been hearing off and on since the middle of June 2020.

Drew removed the right transfer bar where it connected to the foot petal bar and removed a couple set screws and retightened them, however it did not eliminate the popping/clanking noise.  Drew was unable to removed the right transfer bar where it connected to the flywheel mechanism even with the large E clip removed.  He used a good amount of force, but it would not budge and didn't want to damage anything.

Drew surmised about the only thing left was the two bearings that held the axle in place for the flywheel and would discuss the issue with Brooks Safadago.

The machine was put back together and as usual, the mechanical popping/clanking sound was not present when I tested the machine.

When I next use the machine, I will make an audio .mp3 file when the machine acts up again.

Below is a pix of Drew Lowery:

I enjoyed meeting and chatting with Drew.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-30-2020.

EMAILED HEIDI FYALL 11-01-2020

Good Morning Heidi,

Drew Lowery of National Service Corp came by at around 11:30 AM on 10-30-2020 to service the cross trainer.

Drew did some serious maintenance on the machine and the popping/clanking sound was noticeable this time, Drew was able to be duplicated the mechanical popping/clanking sound by moving the flywheel laterally.

One of the issues found was the rubber stops for the transfer bars would make a light pop sound upon contact and release of the transfer bar, however that was not the mechanical popping/clanking noise we have been hearing off and on since the middle of June 2020.

Drew removed the right transfer bar where it connected to the front of the machine, however the transfer bar connecting to the flywheel axle mechanism could not be removed even with the large E ring clip removed. He did remove and tighten a couple set screws on the flywheel axle, however it did not eliminate the popping/clanking noise. As stated, Drew wasn't able to remove the cross arm bar where it connected to the axle mechanism with the large E clip removed and applied external force, however he didn't want to damage anything.

Drew surmised about the only thing left was the two bearings that held the axle in place on the main frame of the machine for the flywheel and would discuss the issue with Brooks Safadago.

In the event of removing the bearings, I am sure the transfer arms will need to be completely removed from the flywheel axle along with a couple more items, therefore some instruction on their removal will be needed to prevent any damage since the transfer arm as stated could not be removed without undue force which might damage something.

The machine was put back together and as usual, the mechanical popping/clanking sound was not present when I tested the machine.

When I used the machine on 11-01-2020, the mechanical noise was present even at level 10 resistance setting on the machine. I made a .mp3 audio clip for reference which is attached.

I appreciate all the assistance so far to get rid of the mechanical popping/clanking noise and hopefully the issue will be resolved.

Later,

Bill

PS  I emailed Heidi Fyall on 11-09-2020 for an update, but have not heard anything back yet.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 11-16-2020.

Web page created by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-16-2020; updated on 04-17-2020, 04-19-2020, 04-22-2020, 06-26-2020, 07-02-2020, 07-25-2020, 07-28-2020, 08-14-2020, 08-18-2020, 08-24-2020, 09-05-2020, 09-08-2020, 09-11-2020, 09-22-2020, 10-07-2020, 10-16-2020,10-30-2020 and 11-16-2020.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.

IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"   JOHN 3:16 KJV