The following is a list of helpful tips to consider during installation and set-up:
Always remember to check with your local utilities so that when you dig the hole for your new basketball goal, you will be sure to avoid hitting cable TV lines, sprinkler lines, gas lines, telephone lines, underground dog fences and POWER LINES!! CALL 811 to have all of your lines marked before you dig.
After choosing a location for your new basketball goal, dig a hole to the manufacturers required specification. It will help to begin with a shovel to cut away the sod, and give you a general idea of the hole diameter. After that try using a digging bar, a steel rod about 2" in diameter with a 3" blade at the bottom. This tool is heavy and if you plunge it into the ground around the parameter of the hole in which you are working, you can loosen the dirt easily. When you have a quantity of loose dirt in the hole, you can then use post hole diggers to clean out the dirt. Repeat this process until you have reached the required depth. Trust me this make the job much easier!
At this point your hole should be at the required depth and diameter. If you have a single piece pole, place it in the center of the hole, and let it rest against the back of the hole. Now using a mortar mixing pan and a hoe, mix a single bag of fast drying cement to a very thick but liquid state. Pour the cement into the hole and repeat until the hole is 3/4 full. At this point straighten the basketball goal pole in the center of the hole and level it. Now take a framing square, a large "L" shaped piece of steel and place it on one side of the pole (this will not be necessary if you have a round pole). Now with the square laying on the ground with one side against the pole place a 4' level along the edge that is on the playing surface. Stand off to the side and look at the level, it should be parallel to the edge of the playing surface. This step will ensure that the backboard will be parallel to the playing surface once the basketball system is assembled.
Now finish filling the hole with cement. Check to make sure that the pole is still plumb, and finish off the top of the cement to a smooth slightly tapered level. This will ensure that water sheds away from the pole prolonging the life of the goal.
Now wait for at least 7 days for the cement to dry before assembling the rest of the basketball goal. For bolt on basketball goals it is recommended to wait as long as 7 days for the cement to dry. All of our basketball hoop systems require 7 days for the cement to dry before assembly.
For bolt on units the procedure is a bit different. After the hole is ready, place the provided re-bar in the bottom of the hole tapping it into the ground a few inches with a hammer. Now assemble the ground kit. Place a nut on each of the 4 "J" bolts and tighten it down. Now place the "J" bolts in the steel template, the square piece of steel that has 4 holes in it, and place a nut on each of the "J" bolts and tighten them down. Now fill the hole with cement until it is even with the top. Place the "J" bolt assembly into the cement. Now using the same procedure outlined above, make sure that the ground unit is parallel to the playing surface. Allow 7 days for the cement to dry.
