Xebex XT4 Sled Review – The Best Sled For A Home Gym in 2024?

Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 01:09 pm

Summer is fast approaching and that means time to get that conditioning work in. And what better way than to take a brand new sled for a ride? The Xebex XT4 Sled just dropped as the first sled with rotating back wheels, and it has me VERY excited. So much so that I reached out to my friends at Get RxD to discuss it.

You should know that I have a LONG history with sleds. From DIY tire sleds, to three post prowler style, flat sleds, the Torque Tank M1, even trying sled type devices to get the work in. So far, everything has had their pros and cons, but nothing has really NAILED it. Will the Xebex XT4 Sled be the PERFECT Home Gym Sled? Let’s dig in!

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Transparency Note

Get RxD was nice enough to send me the Xebex XT4 Sled for sake of review. This is their 4th generation of the XT sled. I have an affiliate link with Get RxD as well, so if you use it it will help me continue to do more cool stuff in my garage. As always, I hope I can provide a clear and detailed review so you know what to do for YOUR home gym.

Xebex XT4 Sled Video Review

Xebex XT4 Sled Specs

As I mentioned, this will be far from the first sled I’ve added to the garage, but it definitely has some unique features that could make it a top contender.

Assembly

The unit gets shipped in one big box, and is more or less the same as MOST gym equipment. Packed tight, foam inserts, you name it. Unfortunately, I don’t think they used enough tape and reinforcement as the foam insert was DESTROYED. I typically take all of the packing materials and put them on Marketplace for a local small business/non-profit to get for free. The main foam piece went straight in the garbage as it was busted into multiple pieces.

I would ignore this, if it didn’t have unfortunate ramifications. I already have several spots where the powder-coat is scuffed, a few stickers are scratched and peeling slightly, you get the idea. I think they need to look into some stronger tape, and possibly a reinforced top and bottom. Things I’ve seen lately are using a thin piece of particle board on the top and bottom to spread the load across the entire box, instead of just a single piece of tape.

All of the needed tools were included, and the instructions were easy to follow. It took me less than 30 minutes to fully assemble (add some time for unpacking and clean-up). Several of the bolts were in less than ideal spaces and angles, so I used one of my new toys – my Dewalt Impact Driver and the 90 Degree attachment with my hex heads. You can 100% do this old school, but this probably saved me 20 minutes.

Key Features Of The Xebex XT4 Sled

The Xebex XT4 Sled is the 4th version of the Xebex sled line. The sled is meant for pushing, dragging, pulling, using multiple harnesses, straps, and handles, and even using the handles for a wheelbarrow weighted carry.

It comes with 8 levels of resistance that can be adjusted with a lever to adjust how hard the sled fights back as you work.

The 3 rubber tires are the go-to for home gym sleds, but the unique feature here is that the back wheels are on casters, meaning they rotate. What this allows you to do is easily turn the sled around. Since 3 point style sleds are often one directional, you can now pivot in place instead of having to prop the front wheel up, rotate, and repeat. You can also use it to go around a track, in circles, around neighborhoods on the sidewalk, you name it.

The Xebex XT4 Sled comes with multiple other items like a spot for weights on the back and front to increase traction, can be stored vertically, and has options for a ton of accessories.

Specs List

• Brand: Xebex & Get RxD
• Made In USA: No
• Dimensions: 47 long x 27 wide x 28 tall in front and 54 tall in back (inches)
• Vertical Storage Dimensions:
• Weight: 125lbs
• Suitable Athletes: All ranges
• Finish: black Anti-UV powder coat
• Weight Limit: 500lbs for wheelbarrow, 660lbs for all other modes
• Assembly: ~30 minutes
• Returns: 15% restocking fee, accepted within 30 days of purchase
• Warranty: 10 years to frame, 1 year for parts/console

Xebex XT4 Sled Accessories

The Xebex XT4 Sled can be purchased as a stand alone sled, or with additional accessories including the Console. These include a shoulder strap, harness, belt, and multiple ways to connect and hook up everything. I’ll be mixing in my rope as well as using my various straps, wraps, harneses, and belts as well.

Xebex XT4 Sled Performance

Resistance Profile

My favorite way to use a sled is similar to what Joe Defranco called Heavy Ass Sled Drags. I want this to be an accessory to my heavy lifting, not just some form of active recovery.

With the Xebex XT4 Sled we’ve got two weight plate loading positions, one on the front and one on the back. The M1 has a similar concept, with the back loading plate post and a new optional front dumbbell cradle. The general idea here is that by loading both you improve the traction of the tires so they don’t simply DRAG.

The big difference though, is that the M1 can only hold 50 total pounds on the front cradles, and you can typically fit 2 45lb plates on the back posts. Where as the Xebex XT4 Sled can fit 2 or 3 45s on the front post, and a solid 6+ on the back.

With the M1 I was often left feeling a little limited. The M1 was less HEAVY SLED DRAG and more “mobile air bike”… in that the harder you worked, the harder it fought back. A different feeling than a literal heavy object you were pulling and pushing.

The Xebex XT4 Sled on the other hand is absolutely COOKING my wife and I and proved to be a big hit with the kiddos at soccer. When I switched from the tire sled of old, to any weight loaded sled, I missed something, I missed this feeling of burning, lungs on fire, legs full of blood, and just no ability to do anything but wobble through the end of the set. Only to have the set end, and my entire body light up and feel way worse for the next ten seconds.

I lost this… until the Xebex XT4 Sled. The ability to load it heavy and combine the magnetic resistance is a winner for us. We noticed it on the very first workout, and it has been consistent every single time. Where Torque only uses the weight posts to “increase traction”, the Xebex XT4 Sled seems to really allow the additional weight to combine with the resistance to make a hellacious experience.

This is the BEST Sled experience I’ve had for the heavy sled feeling, since leaving behind my tire. And the good news is, we’ve still got plenty of room to expand, as I could always use my thin Weight It Out plates to sneak in a few extras, and I’m typically running the resistance on 6 instead of 8. My wife is hovering around 2 to 3 45s, and the kiddos were pushing it with just one of their friends riding it, so we have a LOT of room to continue to progress with the Xebex XT4 Sled, where I felt like we were already maxing out the M1.

Wheelbarrow Function

I’m a big weighted carry fan… I include my rickshaw carries basically all year long, I recently added a Cerberus Strength Sandbag and a 100lb Living Fit Slam Ball for more weighted carry nonsense. This wheelbarrow function is a perfect compliment to those… Or not!

Weighted carries are typically supposed to be difficult because of the CARRY portion. They are heavy in the hands, regardless if you go for a long-distance stroll with a light load or a short sprint with a lot of weight. They get HEAVY FAST, which translates into your forearms, upper back, traps, and core musculature getting lit up.

The problem here is that the majority of your resistance is coming from the magnetic resistance, which isn’t heavy in the hands, it is heavy on the legs as you push.

So you are limited almost entirely by the actual loading capacity of plates on the Xebex XT4 Sled itself. And since the Xebex XT4 Sled can be loaded with a few hundred pounds, but that few hundred pounds is supported by a front wheel and lifted with leverage, it translates to a fairly light weight experience.

The way the handles sit, the wheelbarrow function doesn’t work well for the kids either. Its just too tall. So if you simply get bored with traditional sled work and want a different cardio experience, this could work, but otherwise I don’t see this as a quality addition to a sled as much as a gimmic to include 1 more thing you can do with it. If the sled was able to be loaded with 1000lbs, had some knurling and quality handles, then we’d be in business. But until then, this probably won’t be a regular exercise in our gym.

Handles

I’ve been asked if the angle of the handles on the Xebex XT4 Sled seems to make a difference compared to the Torque. I believe since you are pushing into them it should create some downforce due to the angle of the handles, which translates to better traction, which results in a more difficult sled experience.

The handles being as high as they are, does create some issues for kids though. I mentioned I took this to my daughter’s soccer practices. A bunch of the kids couldn’t reach the handles and stay in an ideal pushing stance, so they ended up having to grab a hold down at the base.

The dual handle concept is meant for the idea of being able to do what Xebex calls a Drive Push. Which works fine for me, but there is no adjust-ability. Wider or thinner athletes, shorter athletes, have no way of making this work.

The handles also seem to be in the way of loading plates. With the extra piece here, they basically cover the main frame of the body, which makes you have to reach around to load up the plates, and again when unloading. And since we want to load a handful of plates every time, this isn’t my favorite plate loading experience. The handles overall work, but I think we have some room for improvement.

Wheels

The front wheel works exactly like wheel on any other sled, but as mentioned, the casters on the back are unique.

What we’ve found is that these are both a Pro and Con, depending on what we are talking about. The casters work great for getting in and out of the garage. No more dragging awkwardly, skidding the back wheels, having to pop a wheelie, etc. Just wheel it down, maneuver in place, and ready to go.

The M1 had issues of steering slightly off center when in use. The nice thing here is that you can correct the Xebex XT4 Sled easily. The back wheels definitely invite some additional wobble to the game, but I’d rather have more movement and be able to correct it, than less movement I can’t correct.

The turning ability is really dependent on how heavy you load it and the resistance setting. The higher both are, the more difficult it is to pivot. Don’t expect to turn on a dime on your sidewalk for a clean 180 with the resistance cranked and the sled full of plates, you are going to need to have some driveway or street available to make the turn.

I have no need or want to push the sled in a track setting, but I could see where some people might need to simply go around a court, or around a car on the driveway, or maybe you have a circle path at the park, or in a commercial gym you could maneuver around equipment. Whatever it might be, as long as you aren’t trying to do a full pivot turn fully loaded and fully cranked, you are going to be good here.

Unfortunately, the movement I mentioned on the back wheels gets unbearable during low load sprints. Occasionally I like to toss a 45 on there, set it at 2 or 3, and SPRINT as fast as possible. This isn’t my go-to, but something I mix in. The wheels go entirely crazy, and you end up spinning out. So, if this is a primary use for you, this sled is absolutely not going to work.

Another example of this is when I tried to use the front hooks with some of the straps. When pulling forward on the front of the sled, the back wheels tend to get crazy, and what ended up happening was I dropped the entire sled off the sidewalk fully loaded into the street. It ended up scarring the sides of the sled a bit, and I’m never a fan of dropping my iron plates on asphalt and concrete.

Another issue with the wheels, is the vertical storage. I’m a big proponent of storage being an included factor for home gym equipment. Technically the Xebex XT4 Sled CAN be stored vertically, but in reality, it is pretty freaking dangerous. Trying to get the sled in and out of vertical storage with the wheels moving on you is a nightmare.

Since we’ve had it, I’ve simply had it take up residence in the corner of the gym. Not my ideal solution, but the one we are left with. One last note on the wheels, is the M1 has wheels that need to occasionally be inflated. The Xebex XT4 Sled has full dense rubber wheels, which means there is no air pump at all, no weight limit, and the site claims they will last 10X as long.

Accessories

My Xebex XT4 Sled came with the monitor. In the past two months I’ve used it… never. It is too complicated in my opinion to be helpful. I want to be able to see some really basic stats, maybe pick a program or challenge or something with a few button clicks, have some timers built in…

I think back to my days with the Concept II Rower, you could pre-program a workout with a certain goal, or simply go for it and see your stats at the end. This made it easy to pick up and go no matter who you are, and it gave you some objectionable feedback.

The monitor here has a bunch of different buttons, modes, settings… and there is a TON of stuff on the screen at all times… things I just don’t see MOST people really digging into and utilizing. The manual is also not very helpful, over 8 pages of details on how to use a monitor for a sled just seems like too much.

The monitor also gets in the way of the front-loading pin on the Xebex XT4 Sled. You have to fold it down, put the plates on, and fold it back. I see a future where I forget to do that and crack the monitor. On top of this, the battery door on the back of the monitor is extremely loose, to the point where almost any time I take it out of my truck when we’ve traveled with it, the batteries fall out.

If you like monitors that track a ton of stuff on your sleds, this is cool. If not, skip it.

I also went to their website looking for some details on movements per the QR Code on the Xebex XT4 Sled, and this was clearly a quick job as every single exercise listed apparently trains the same muscle groups. Which is just not accurate. And some of these exercises are downright weird to perform, like the backwards wheelbarrow walk. Please don’t offer an additional service, put it prominently on the machine itself, and then have it be a lackluster experience.

Xebex also sent me every single strap ever made and we put them all to the test. Some felt odd, some worked ok, our favorite was easily the dual handle strap. It was simple to use, not a lot to get in the way, and it just worked. The harnesses felt very thin and low quality, one of these straps looks like I could wrap my entire body in it… and a few of these I could see being used occasionally, but not often.

Overall, not something I’d go out of my way to purchase, I’d use some daisy straps that we use in our gym all the time anyway and my favorite cable attachment or harness (Save 15% w/ Code: GML15) and it would work even better.

We went ahead and hooked up the rope we have to the Xebex XT4 Sled to see how that worked. With the swivel wheels you can’t really do the rope on a hill or driveway which sucks, but it does work well on a sidewalk. You have to make sure to hook it up on the backside, other you get the swivel wheel craziness, but it works.

Travel

One final piece to the puzzle… I mentioned taking this to soccer practice. The M1 weighs 78lbs where the Xebex XT4 Sled weighs 125lbs. Since the M1 doesn’t have the swivel wheels, it is infinitely easier to load up into the back of a truck. Every time I loaded the Xebex XT4 Sled I thought I was gonna scrape, pinch, or crush some part of my arm or hand. So if you are a trainer taking this to and from your house regularly, you should definitely keep that in mind.

Other Options On The Market

Torque Tank M1

The original home gym sled, the Torque Tank M1. This has been our go to sled for awhile.

Torque Tank M1 Review – 2024

Xebex XT3 PLUS Sled

You can still currently buy the Xebex XT3 sled. It doesn’t have the same features like the back wheels, but it is a cheaper option.

Basic Sled

A literal ass-ton of companies offer metal sleds on skids in various fashions. Amazon, EliteFTS, Rogue, and many others. I never enjoyed these, but they certainly are budget friendly. There are other unique options from companies like Freak Athlete with their WheelBarrow Sled, but ultimately, at this point, I’m only using a wheeled sled.

Wrap Up On The Xebex XT4 Sled

So where does that leave us… There are a lot of things that are more refined and easier to work with on the M1. It can also be cheaper depending on the accessories you add. But when I ask my wife, my daughter, even friends and other kiddos that I’ve had use them side by side, which they like best… It is a unanimous decision that the Xebex XT4 Sled is a better sled.

There are a lot of reasons why you might not want to buy the Xebex XT4 Sled, which hopefully I’ve laid out here today. But simply based on the actual in use performance of the Xebex XT4 Sled, I’m going to agree with everyone else and say that this is going to be our go-to sled in our gym for the time being and we will be selling the Torque Tank M1.

BUT… while Xebex currently has my vote, they left the door wide open for someone else to claim the crown of best sled for the home gym. So… will Xebex make an XT5 that is perfect? Maybe Torque will drop an updated M1? Or maybe a new competitor will join the sled fight and take the crown? We’ll just have to wait and see…

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