Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

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airahcaz
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Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by airahcaz »

Do you have an In Ground or Portable Basketball System (pole, rim, and backboard), and how did you decide on one vs. the other?
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traumadoc77
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by traumadoc77 »

In ground is much better imo. I put in a goalsetter last fall and it is great. You dig the and pour the concrete and put the support pier in the concrete. Let it set and a couple days later you attach the basket to the pier. If you move you can remove the goal and take it with you. Digging the hole was the worse part of it, but good exercise.
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airahcaz
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by airahcaz »

traumadoc77 wrote:In ground is much better imo. I put in a goalsetter last fall and it is great. You dig the and pour the concrete and put the support pier in the concrete. Let it set and a couple days later you attach the basket to the pier. If you move you can remove the goal and take it with you. Digging the hole was the worse part of it, but good exercise.
Which one and how much was the unit and I guess you saved installation costs DIY :)
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Aptenodytes
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by Aptenodytes »

The upper end portable units are as good as permanent in my view, if you follow instructions and weight them heavily. We choose portable because we wanted occasional vehicle access through the post area.
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airahcaz
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by airahcaz »

Aptenodytes wrote:The upper end portable units are as good as permanent in my view, if you follow instructions and weight them heavily. We choose portable because we wanted occasional vehicle access through the post area.
With sand? Heard using water gets a bit stinky and hard to clean out annually.

I'm also struggling to find big disadvantages with portable, other than lacking the professional look and maybe heavier folks dunking...
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HardKnocker
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by HardKnocker »

Years ago I installed a permanent post and backboard.

If I did it again I'd go with the portable setup.
“Gold gets dug out of the ground, then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility.”--Warren Buffett
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Aptenodytes
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by Aptenodytes »

airahcaz wrote:
Aptenodytes wrote:The upper end portable units are as good as permanent in my view, if you follow instructions and weight them heavily. We choose portable because we wanted occasional vehicle access through the post area.
With sand? Heard using water gets a bit stinky and hard to clean out annually.

I'm also struggling to find big disadvantages with portable, other than lacking the professional look and maybe heavier folks dunking...
I used sand. Water didn't seem practical.
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airahcaz
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by airahcaz »

HardKnocker wrote:Years ago I installed a permanent post and backboard.

If I did it again I'd go with the portable setup.
Ok. Excellent feedback. Tell me why please?! :)
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livesoft
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by livesoft »

We've got a portable one filled with water and it has been there almost 15 years, except for when hurricanes have come through and we lay it down. Every site location is different. Our neighbors had a permanent goal that worked for them. For us, portable made much more sense given our driveway, breezeway, landscaping, etc. It's hard to explain, but the vertical (not slanted) pole is against a fence, the goal extends out over the fence, and the base is behind the fence filled with water and with potted flowers on it. Here's a link to an image: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/graph ... 9126dt.jpg

It is important to have one with adjustable height because young kids cannot use a 10 foot height and teenagers need to dunk on a 10 ft goal.

We have four parks with lighted courts within walking distance, plus two YMCAs within biking distance, so a perfect setup at home is not necessary.
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runner9
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by runner9 »

When I was growing up we had an in ground one. To make it more steady my dad filled the metal pole with concrete to about 4 feet above ground. Worked great until we outgrew it. Ended up digging a long narrow trench from the pole outward so we could lay the post down and cover it with soil and grass. It was way to heavy to lift out.
miles monroe
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by miles monroe »

i've had both, plus a backboard that was attached to the house. while that was fine for me, it was pretty noisy for anyone who was inside at the time.

my current goal is a portable one, which i got because it was impractical to use an in ground one based on the footprint of my yard. i was pleasantly surprised at well it performs. it is weighted with sand, and does not move a bit. the height is adjustable which is great for both the little guys and the teens who crank it down to 9 ft to dunk.

one caveat. with sand it is just about impossible to move. not a one man job no matter what the instructions say. you will need 3 or 4 people to slide it if you need to move it for any reason. there really should be an opening on top of the base so you can remove sand to facilitate moving.

i think i paid in the neighborhood of $300 10-15 years ago for my unit.
jchris
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by jchris »

We have a high quality portable one, weighted with water, and have had it for about 15 years. Being able to lower the hoop when my kids were young was a plus. Now my oldest plays on the high school team and dominates me when we play. But all those years of having the hoop made him one of the better shooters on his team, so I guess it paid off. We've had to replace the plexiglass backboard once, but it was not that difficult.
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StevieG72
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by StevieG72 »

I would do portable myself, especially if it will be in the front of the house. You will be surprised how quickly it will become a community court! While you certainly should not mind neighborhood kids using your goal occasionaly, it can become a nuisance. If neighborhood kids use the goal while you are not home it is possible to have damage to your house ( broken window from stray ball ).
It would be a pain to have to move the portable goal frequently, but at least you would have the option.
This may not be an issue if you live in a rural area.
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traumadoc77
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by traumadoc77 »

airahcaz wrote:
traumadoc77 wrote:In ground is much better imo. I put in a goalsetter last fall and it is great. You dig the and pour the concrete and put the support pier in the concrete. Let it set and a couple days later you attach the basket to the pier. If you move you can remove the goal and take it with you. Digging the hole was the worse part of it, but good exercise.
Which one and how much was the unit and I guess you saved installation costs DIY :)

I got this one http://www.goalsetter.com/5/in-ground-b ... ender.html
I like playing with my son and daughter we use it almost daily in good weather. If you install it per the directions it is rock solid. We got quotes to have the digging done but all were pretty outrageous so I did it myself. Personally I think portable goals are like above ground pools... a bit trashy. I can dunk on this without fear of it toppling on me, as I am 220lb.
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by HardKnocker »

airahcaz wrote:
HardKnocker wrote:Years ago I installed a permanent post and backboard.

If I did it again I'd go with the portable setup.
Ok. Excellent feedback. Tell me why please?! :)
Sooner or later all basketball hoops are abandoned. With a portable you just put it to the curb or give it away.
“Gold gets dug out of the ground, then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility.”--Warren Buffett
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by Crimsontide »

We've had both. The portable (filled with water) was great for when the folks would come visit in their big RV and park in the driveway.
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Re: Basketball systems: In Ground or Portable?

Post by Tom_T »

I have a portable one that was filled with water. But, after several bad winters, the base began to leak. It is now empty. I have a few bags of sand sitting on top of the base. I wrapped the bags in heavy-duty black garbage bags to protect them from the elements. If I need to move the hoop, it's easy enough to take the bags off, rather than trying to move a heavy base.

Of course, after I did all this, my kids got tired of basketball and moved on to the track team. :)
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