Comments on: Installing a Basketball Hoop http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/ parenting tips, tricks and commentary Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:44:38 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Kevin Johnson http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/comment-page-1/#comment-25845 Kevin Johnson Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:42:16 +0000 http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/#comment-25845 One extremly important aspect of installing a residential basketball goal is locating any under ground utilitys.Gas,phone,electric,fiberoptic,cable,sprinkler systems all pose potential installation hazzards.Call your local municipality or gas company for the general utility locating service.It is free.You can also contact Homecourtadvantage.com a national goal installation company for alternative ways to install a goal if you feel theres a problem with your particular installation. One extremly important aspect of installing a residential basketball goal is locating any under ground utilitys.Gas,phone,electric,fiberoptic,cable,sprinkler systems all pose potential installation hazzards.Call your local municipality or gas company for the general utility locating service.It is free.You can also contact Homecourtadvantage.com a national goal installation company for alternative ways to install a goal if you feel theres a problem with your particular installation.

]]> By: Kevin Johnson http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/comment-page-1/#comment-25840 Kevin Johnson Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:39:57 +0000 http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/#comment-25840 Installing a basketball goal isnt easy.It requires a minimum of 2-3 people.You must also have the strength to dig a large deep hole,muscle up a heavy backboard and wrench large nuts and bolts. It is a 2 day process for an inground goal.The first day consists of digging the hole,mixing the concrete and setting the j-bolts or pole.J-bolts are the base of most high end or heavy duty backboard systems.Then you must let the concrete cure for at least 48 hours depending on the weather.Colder climates requires more curing time. The next step is to assemble the unit.This consits of laying out the parts on the court.Doing so on the box provided as not to scratch the arms and parts.Following the manufacturers directions is critical.Each step is designed after the other for safety and ease of installation.This second phase of the install is where the extra hands come in.The theory is the more the merrier.Some glass backboards weigh over 100lbs.Its nice to have 2 people holding the board in place and another 1-2 people inserting the bolts and reading the directions. One important note.On some of the less expensive systems like a $200-$400 round pole system from a sporting goods store I highly recomend filling the pole completely with concrete.This should be the last step.This will ensure that water and moisture does not get into the pole which will freeze and cause the pole to burst during the cold season. If this sounds like a pain.Well it is. Removal of an existing pole can be very easy or extremly difficult.Depending on the install it may fall over easily or have a telephone pole like concrete base.You can call your local rental place and have a hydraulic compresser and jack hammer delivered to your driveway.I dont recomend the electric hammers though they will work expect to be there a while.A few tricks of the trade will ease this problem.One of them is if your new system can be moved to the right,left or behind the old base you may be ok.You can rent a hand grinder and cut off the old pole and not have to deal with that huge block of concrete.Another trick is to cut the pole and chip 2-3 inches of the old concrete and put dirt and sod over the old base.Presto!You just saved a ton of labor.Make sure that when you cut the old pole off you dont leave jagged metal sitting there.You can pound the edges down with a big hammer.Now we may be getting into some unchartered water for the average homeowner but its just a trade tip.If you you dont think you can handle it dont.Find a handyman.But beware this may be the most important tip of all.Not all handymen know anything about these new basketball systems on the market today.You can have a guy thats been a handyman for 20 years and watch him sit in the driveway scratching his head with the directions in his hand.Find a trained basketball goal installer.He will do it in a flash with no hesitation.Think of it as a hoop mechanic.Theyre out there.Good luck! Installing a basketball goal isnt easy.It requires a minimum of 2-3 people.You must also have the strength to dig a large deep hole,muscle up a heavy backboard and wrench large nuts and bolts.
It is a 2 day process for an inground goal.The first day consists of digging the hole,mixing the concrete and setting the j-bolts or pole.J-bolts are the base of most high end or heavy duty backboard systems.Then you must let the concrete cure for at least 48 hours depending on the weather.Colder climates requires more curing time.
The next step is to assemble the unit.This consits of laying out the parts on the court.Doing so on the box provided as not to scratch the arms and parts.Following the manufacturers directions is critical.Each step is designed after the other for safety and ease of installation.This second phase of the install is where the extra hands come in.The theory is the more the merrier.Some glass backboards weigh over 100lbs.Its nice to have 2 people holding the board in place and another 1-2 people inserting the bolts and reading the directions.
One important note.On some of the less expensive systems like a $200-$400 round pole system from a sporting goods store I highly recomend filling the pole completely with concrete.This should be the last step.This will ensure that water and moisture does not get into the pole which will freeze and cause the pole to burst during the cold season.
If this sounds like a pain.Well it is.
Removal of an existing pole can be very easy or extremly difficult.Depending on the install it may fall over easily or have a telephone pole like concrete base.You can call your local rental place and have a hydraulic compresser and jack hammer delivered to your driveway.I dont recomend the electric hammers though they will work expect to be there a while.A few tricks of the trade will ease this problem.One of them is if your new system can be moved to the right,left or behind the old base you may be ok.You can rent a hand grinder and cut off the old pole and not have to deal with that huge block of concrete.Another trick is to cut the pole and chip 2-3 inches of the old concrete and put dirt and sod over the old base.Presto!You just saved a ton of labor.Make sure that when you cut the old pole off you dont leave jagged metal sitting there.You can pound the edges down with a big hammer.Now we may be getting into some unchartered water for the average homeowner but its just a trade tip.If you you dont think you can handle it dont.Find a handyman.But beware this may be the most important tip of all.Not all handymen know anything about these new basketball systems on the market today.You can have a guy thats been a handyman for 20 years and watch him sit in the driveway scratching his head with the directions in his hand.Find a trained basketball goal installer.He will do it in a flash with no hesitation.Think of it as a hoop mechanic.Theyre out there.Good luck!

]]> By: Jon Pershke http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/comment-page-1/#comment-25534 Jon Pershke Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:12:12 +0000 http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/#comment-25534 What ever happened to a simple hoop over the garage? I am trying to get one for my girls for Christmas and it seems almost impossible to find anything on either installation services or do it yourself instructions???? What ever happened to a simple hoop over the garage? I am trying to get one for my girls for Christmas and it seems almost impossible to find anything on either installation services or do it yourself instructions????

]]> By: Blaine Moore http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/comment-page-1/#comment-4420 Blaine Moore Mon, 27 Nov 2006 16:44:31 +0000 http://www.raising4boys.com/2006/11/27/installing-a-basketball-hoop/#comment-4420 I had a hoop growing up; it was great. It got my brother and I active quite often on our own, and meant that there was always a crowd in the driveway whenever we had friends over. I will probably never install one at my current house, though; our driveway is too close to the street and to the pond in the back to make it safe. We will probably have moved by the time we have kids old enough to want a hoop, though, and until then we are only a few miles from the high school's hoops. I had a hoop growing up; it was great. It got my brother and I active quite often on our own, and meant that there was always a crowd in the driveway whenever we had friends over.

I will probably never install one at my current house, though; our driveway is too close to the street and to the pond in the back to make it safe. We will probably have moved by the time we have kids old enough to want a hoop, though, and until then we are only a few miles from the high school’s hoops.

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