Spalding Screw Jack Portable Basketball Hoop

My biggest fear in buying this hoop for my son was that I'd teach him a few new bad words if he helped me assemble it. I am NOT "handy" and have "learned" over the years that instruction manual authors and illustrators undergo special training so they can convey ambiguous and deceptive directions. But the assembly was such a pleasant surprise and the end product so awesome, I had to post a review (my first ever, for anything). The end product is attractive and solid. We live in the Midwest and I was afraid the large backboard would act like a sail on windy days. Being able to lower the backboard when not in use is a big plus and it's very easy to do. We filled the tank with water and, as per the directions, 2 gallons of antifreeze since we live in a cold climate. I believe that will work fine, but the day after final assembly the weather forecast called for 40-50 mph gusts. So being a bit of a ninny, I put an extra 150lbs of ballast (bags of rock salt) on top of the tank. The hoop is solid as a rock both in the wind and during play. Assembly was pretty painless and took about 5 hours altogether. Contrary to what I've come to expect from instruction manuals, this one was pretty decent. A couple of assembly tips: 1. Tools needed. I can't imagine trying to assemble this without a socket wrench set. Also, most of the time during assembly the pole will rest on sawhorses - make sure they are tall enough before you start (at least 38" high). You'll need that much clearance when the backboard is attached. 2. The instructions advise to check that bolts fit smoothly thru their intended holes in case dried paint around the hole opening impedes that. Good advice. I encountered that issue in step A 11 when attaching the "elevator tubes". I had to use a rasp to SLIGHTLY enlarge two holes on the elevator tubes. Other than that things fit well. 3. The parts themselves aren't labeled or numbered so it pays to use the instruction manual illustrations to inventory parts before attempting assembly. 4. None of the 3 pole sections have "front" or "back" labels to indicate in which direction they should face once assembled. That's not an issue for the top or bottom poles - you can figure it out from the illustration. The middle pole orientation was a puzzle though. The instruction manual shows the two warning labels on the middle pole facing front (toward the shooter). But MY middle pole had a warning label on opposing sides of the pole (one in English, one French). I called Spalding customer service and after providing them with the instruction manual ID# (on front cover bottom right) they went to the illustration in the manual that confused me and were able to help immediately (I was pretty impressed with that). 5. In assembly steps where the manual warns "this step requires two adults", that's usually correct. It's not just an issue of strength, most of those steps require 4 arms. Step A 5 is an exception. Kind of hard to explain, but bolting the pole to the tank requires ONE person to peer thru the hole in the bottom of the tank to find the corresponding holes which are INSIDE the pole. While doing that, the same person (I think) has to manipulate the tank till the holes align. The only analogy I can think of is the scene in "Apollo 13" where Kevin Bacon's character has to look thru a receptacle in order to dock the command vehicle and extract the "lem". If my wife and I had tried that one together, we'd be divorced by now. 6. Also re step A 5, there are 3 holes in the depression on the tank where the pole is to be attached. But the instruction manual shows only 2 bolts (and holes) being used for that purpose. Given my instruction manual paranoia, I called Spalding customer service. They explained the third hole is meant to stay open - it allows rain water to drain thru the tank once the hoop is assembled (duh, should have been able to figure that out on my own). 7. In several steps where bolts are used, the instructions clearly warn "STOP TIGHTENING NUT WHEN FLUSH WITH END OF THE BOLT". Be on the lookout for those steps cause the backboard is meant to be raised and lowered. In assembly steps with that warning, tightening the nuts beyond that point will probably impede movement. 8. Step B 3 is where the rim is attached to the backboard. I found that illustration a bit confusing. I had the mistaken impression the rim was to be secured to the backboard with the same 4 bolts used to attach the rim bracket to the backboard in the prior step (B 2). Not so. The rim fits OVER the heads of those 4 bolts and is attached to the backboard only by the bolt (and washer and nut) that runs thru the MIDDLE of the bracket. I found one part to be missing from the package - the center plastic guard that attaches to the bottom of the backboard. Customer service shipped it right away. Other than that, everything was there. Also, there were no extra parts left over (as I think was alluded to in another review). Good luck and enjoy!

Product: Once assembled this basketball hoop is the best driveway hoop I have played on. The glass backboard is makes all the difference and is vastly superior to acrylic and poly carbonate boards. The bounce off the board is solid with very little rebound loss and the sound is sweet when compare to the booming you get on plastic boards. This system is very heavy and well built. The 4 inch square pole adds to the solid feel and altogether the basketball system is very stable and rigid. The plastic base comes with a metal support frame that you attach to the struts supporting the pole. I filled mine with water and used the ropes included to tied it down. The result makes the hoop firmly grounded. During play you do not have to worry about the base moving at all, and I don't think it will ever tip over. Overall I am very happy with this purchase and my kids love it. Packaging: The hoop is delivered by a freight company called CEVA in a very large and heavy box. CEVA will make an appointment with you and they will bring the box to your garage. The items are packed very well so the glass and metal parts arrived safely without any damage. All the hardware (ie bolts and nuts) are packaged in separate plastic pouches that are well organized. This makes finding the parts easy when you do the assembly. The heaviest piece is the glass backboard. I would guess it is around 40-50 pounds and one person could certainly lift it by himself. On some reviews I read, they mentioned that the directions were confusing because the spacers for the rim and the backboard were pre-installed which the directions did not mention. In the shipment I received, the directions have been updated so this is not an issue. Assembly: I read every review and I was concern about assembling this by myself since many reviewers rate the assembly as very difficult. I thought about hiring someone to assemble it, but after looking at the different parts in the box and reading the instructions I decided to give it a try. I got all the tools (mostly pair of socket wrench with 1/2 and 3/4 sockets) and followed the directions carefully. The assembly went smoothly for the most part, except the step to attach the board to the elevators. For me this took the most time. I lifted the board and use some milk boxes to support it. Then I tilted the pole on the saw horse so the holes were close to lining up. I temporarily inserted the bolts to hold the backboard to the elevators. Then I did each bolt one at a time. The difficult part is that there is a plastic spacer between the board and the elevator and this took a very long time to line up the bolt through the holes and spacer holes. After I did one, I would take out a bolt that I had temporarily inserted and add the spacers to do it right. The four holes took me an hour and a half and it was by far the most difficult. After I attached the board, I filled up the base with water and asked my wife to help me move and upright the system. This is very heavy and you would need someone to help you. After it was uprighted, I finished by installing the rim and the foam panels on the under side of the board. From start to finish, it took about 4 hours. Tips: 1. Before banging the poles together line them up so the clearance for each corner is about same. You don't one one corner very tight and the other corner very loose. Also spray WD-40 before drop banging the poles together. 2. When attaching the pole to the base, push the bolt through the holes on the plastic base before threading them through the pole. You need someone to hold the pole for you at this step. 3. Use some plastic milk boxes or other support when trying to attach board to elevators. Having two people to hold the board while you attach the bolt through the spacers would make things go alot easier. If you don't have extra help, then slide the bolts without spacers as a temporary step to hold the board to the elevator, and then go back and do one bolt at a time with the spacer. This step was hard for me because I had to push very hard to get the spacer in between and to line up the holes. 4. Before uprighting, push the base to the desire location. You will need someone to help when uprighting, it is very heavy.