Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Well, I researched a lot before purchasing this hoop system. I wanted mid-range on price (under $400) but with sturdier, square tube pole and glass backboard. I have room and no need to relocate, so in-ground was ok with me. Took my time on the installation and spread it over 4 days (maybe 7-8 hrs in total). 3 hrs digging hole and prepping hole with rebar and forms on day 1. 1 hr assembling the pole on day 2. 3 hrs Pouring concrete and installing pole on day 3. And, 1 hr assembling rim and hanging backboard on day 4. Here are a few lessons learned along the way: Hole -- 2 foot deep X 2 ft diameter hole doesn't sound like much, but in dense, gooey SE Texas clay, it was not so easy. Switched back and forth between post hole digger and using shovel to scrape clay off of the digger. At the end, I used the shovel to bell the bottom sides of the hole for more stability. Used wire mesh tied with zip ties into a cylinder as reinforcement. Added two pieces of 3 ft long rebar in center of hole protruding vertical to slide pole onto later to increase sturdiness. Squared off the top of my hole to fit a 2 ft square 2x4 form. Onto the form, I built a support for the pole to clamp on during concrete pour and curing. Pole -- The 4 inch tubular square pole comes in two heavy sections. Believe the hype. These two pieces may belong together, but they don't wanna be together. It took about an hour to get the pieces started into each other about a half inch while balancing horizontal on saw horses, then dropping them (cement end down) onto a concrete block from a 3 ft step ladder to get them in the required 4-5 inches overlap. Once you get started and a rhythm, they slide in nicely. Just took some experimenting to figure out how to make the connection. Once on, it will never come off. Very tight! I also drill two holes on the bottom end that will go into cement and added to radially protruding 1/2 inch X 4 inch long anchor bolts to increase the bond area when cementing into ground. Probably overkill, but methinks my hoop pole will stop a train. Pour -- Ok, key here is to have plenty of time (say 3 uninterrupted hours) as you want to fill the hole and about 3/4 of pole in one pour (even if it causes your daughter to be late to her soccer match -- doh!). Took me 12 X 80# bags of Quikcrete in total (hole + pole). Mixed in wheel barrel one bag at a time and poured directly. Slid pole onto my rebar pieces and into hole (clamping onto the 2x4 supports fixed to my forms) about half way through the pour, leveled well and clamped. Tossed the plastic insert like others suggested for a more sturdy system. Plus, I cannot imagine ever moving this sucker once in the ground. Make sure you tape the seams and holes on the pole and keep pouring concrete to fill hole and about 3/4 of pole. You will leave top part of upper pole (about 2 feet) hollow so you can thread-they backboard supports later. Used a milk gallon jug (cut in half) as a scoop to add concrete to the pole from a ladder. Didn't follow the directions here, which have you fill the pole with concrete before installing. That woulda been way too heavy. Backboard -- Ok, this was actually easy(ier). Assembled just as instructions show and was able to hold the backboard up by myself while my 12 year old daughter threaded through the bolts. We ditched the nylon net and went with a metal net from Amazon ($3) cuz we love the sound it makes. :) All-in-all, we made it a family installation adventure and spread it out over a few days to keep it from getting tiresome. Think of it as a fun project, and not a quick job otherwise it could get frustrating. The end product is very stable and sturdy... Nice quality. Kiddos and I are out shooting hoops every day! Enjoy!