Advice on Portable Basketball Systems

[EddieWalker]

We want to get the kids a portable basketball system for Christmas. I don't know a good one from a bad one, or why they range in price from $99 on up to $500.

What do you have and where did you get it? What makes it a good one, and would you recomend it to me?

It would be left outside year round. I thought about a permanent one, but the only place I have for them to play right now has a slight slope to it. In time, I'll create a better place for them to play, so I'm hesitant on a permanent pole. Of course, I could always pull it out and do it again sometime, so maybe a permanent pole is better then a portable one?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[woodchuckie]

Being easy to adjust hight by just moving a handle makes it more expensive.
Some cheaper ones don't have the full size backboard.
Glass backboard most expensive.
Acrylic less expensive.
Composite least expensive.
Different gauge brackets do make a difference.
I've seen composite board where the bracket bolts pulled out of the board.

 

[charlz]

We bought a Huffy/Spalding a few years ago. I think we paid about $100 on sale, maybe a close-out, at Target.

9H327 seems to be the closest-looking current model Huffy® Sports - Products - Basketball

It's a portable with acrylic backboard, adjustable height, breakaway rim etc. It has held up really well, but will need a new net pretty soon. I did put a gallon of non-toxic antifreeze along with water in the base. Wind has only knocked it over one time and did not do any damage to it. It sits behind the garage and there are some trees there as well so it is sheltered somewhat from the wind. I think the biggest problem with the portables is wind knocking them over and the backboard getting shattered.

The adjustable height is nice will little kids but we leave it at regulation height these days (kids are 10 and 11). The open ends on all the extra pipes and stuff for the adjustable height is attractive to wasps and we usually have to spray it a time or two in the summer.

 

[NSBound]

Tick tock, Eddie!

 

[forgeblast]

i had a portable system growing up....a pain. Throwing a layup ment crashing into the base, or tripping over concrete blocks that were used to hold it down. also the thing fell over a couple of times and cracked the backboard. and dented the rim. I just didnt like it, i always whished i had one on a pole. that was just sunk into the ground or mounted on the house.

 

[studor]

Too bad - there is most of a portable one in my barn and a friend of mine is pulling a 3" pipe one in the spring
There are portable ones all over my street and the biggest issue with them seems to be the ballast system freezing and breaking, then the thing falls over and cracks the backboard. We had a Huffy (the one in the barn but the second one purchased) in the driveway for ten years or so and in order to make sure it stayed upright I used those spring like dog leash stakes with a little piece of cable to fasten it to the ground and filled the base with sand the second time around -- so much for portability. The pipe one at my friends house is a much better arrangement, cemented in the ground. The portable ones around here seem to get set up then never move untill the snowplow knocks em over
James Naismith's home is on my way to the farm -- maybe you should just get some peach baskets and nail them to the deer blind

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the tips. I thought that a portable one was the way to go, but now I don't see any advantage to them. In fact, with some of the issues mentioned, I'm now going to look at in ground models. The place where it will go is also where my wife parks her car. If the kids are playing, she can park further back without any problems, but if they are not playing, she'll park right under it. If it fell over just one time on her car, that would be terrible. Since we don't have to move it around, that part of the question is answered.

I'm going to do some shopping today to see what I can find.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Tororider]

Eddie,
I think you are making the right decision, and I say that having just bought a brand new portable for my kids to use at the farm. In ground systems are cheaper too, so if you can easily move it down the road when you have a more level place it is the way to go. Right now, we don't have a good place to put an in ground so I found a nice one on clearance at Sams club, best of a bad situation I guess. Have fun, basketball is a great cheap way to have fun, and for me it was a good way to choose a college.

 

[EddieWalker]

Being easy to adjust hight by just moving a handle makes it more expensive.
Some cheaper ones don't have the full size backboard.
Glass backboard most expensive.
Acrylic less expensive.
Composite least expensive.
Different gauge brackets do make a difference.
I've seen composite board where the bracket bolts pulled out of the board.

I bought an Acrylic 54 inch, in ground Spalding Hoop today. It has the 3 1/2 inch pole, which is a bit better then those with a 3 inch pole and smaller boards. After tax, it was $205. The more expensive models had bigger poles and bigger backboards. They were also glass instead of acrylic. For my needs, I think I have more then what I'll ever need.

Steph has wrapped it and we put it on top of our coffee table. It's too big to fit under the tree, or even tucked in a corner somewhere. To mess with the kids, she wrote that it's to Mike, our cat. hahahaha They are spending the night at the Grandma's house tonight to allow us time to wrap gifts. That big ole box to Mike is just going to drive them buggy!!!!

Christmas Morning, we'll change the label and see how long it takes them to figure it out.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[dooleysm]

Good job Eddie, you can't go wrong with basketball, it's the best game ever. Our state law requires a basketball goal to be installed at all residences with children 18 and younger within a year of initial occupation. Brush up on your horse specialty shots and get ready for an endless barrage of buzzer beaters.