Spalding Portable Basketball System - 54" Aluminum Trim Glass Backboard Product Description:
- Portable basketball system with 40-gallon capacity base for water or sand
- Tempered glass backboard, measures 54 inches wide (0.25-inches thick)
- Heavy duty solid steel Arena Slam breakaway rim
- Three-piece, four-inch square pole with 4-strut mount for increased support
- Screw Jack adjustable height system moves the basket from 7.5 to 10 feet high
Product Description
54" 1x1 SF w/Alum;1/4" Glass;Scjk Lift;Arena Slam;Brd & Stad Pd
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
41 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
Portable Basketball Systems
By T. T. Dodge
I extensively researched all the available portable basketball systems. That included reading independent reviews and visiting Dicks and Sports Authority to see and test the various makes and models. Although, Spalding's "The Beast" was far and away the best portable unit that I examined, its cost is $250 more at Amazon. This unit was not difficult to assemble. My 13-year old son and I accomplished that task in about four hours (he is much more handy than I am). The unit is rock solid. The 54" glass backboard is the real advantage that this unit has over the competition. It is just like playing in the gym. There is no backboard movement on shots that hit high off the backboard. It is just like playing on an in-ground unit. I only wish that moving it was easier once assembled. The Spalding Beast allows you to lower a handle which lowers the wheels and easily move the unit wherever you wish. Moving this system once the reservoir is filled is not an easy task. But, for the money, you will be happy that you spent the extra two to three hundred dollars for a system so beefy and a big glass backboard.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
Shattered backboard - TWICE
By D. Gross
I bought this system and followed the assembly directions meticulously. After about 2 weeks of normal use, I attempted a shot and the ball hit the front of the rim and the whole backboard shattered. I received a replacement backboard from Academy where I bought it, along with all the rim hardware. A friend and I installed the new backboard and rim assembly and he also verified we followed the directions properly. A day later, the exact same thing happened: the shot was a little short, the ball hit the front of the rim, and the backboard shattered. This backboard is a piece of junk.Update: after conversation with Spalding, it turns out that there were missing plastic/vinyl spacers between the backboard and the goal assembly. These spacers reduce the shock on the backboard. The newer backboards are supposed to have the spacers pre-attached, so the instructions say nothing about them and they are not included in the parts. Spalding mixed newer instructions with older backboards, so there are no spacers and no mention of them in the instructions.The main thing to get out of this is: YOU HAVE TO HAVE THESE SPACERS! If they are not already part of the backboard, and not in the instructions, don't put your goal together until you get them from Spalding.
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Nice goal - confusing instructions
By J. Huffman
I don't often review products simply due to time but I have to get the word out about this goal. First off, this is a great portable goal. It's well built, the frame is solid, backboard is solid, the base once filled with 500lbs of sand is solid. My kids love this goal. All around, its great and it would have received 5 stars had it not been for the installation instructions.All that said, assembly went well at first. I had two other adults helping so it went fast at first. Be sure you follow the instructions precisely for pounding the 3 poles together. If you get it wrong, you are hosed. Now, there are two things in the instructions that everyone needs to know but of course Spalding doesn't tell you. First, the hardware spacers #30 that get assembled on Section A, step 11 are plastic spacers but they look nothing like the hardware identifier chart on the top of page 7.. The width is correct in the drawing but the circle circumference is WAY off. This slowed us down while we double and triple checked to make sure we had nothing else that matched that #30 spacer. The second and most frustrating part of assembly was Section B, Step #2. Parts 51 and 27 were NO WHERE to be found in the box. We spent the better part of an hour searching for these parts. We finally gave up and I resolved myself to having to call Spalding for replacement after the weekend. We continued our installation for the remaining sections which went smooth. When we finally stood the goal up, we noticed that the #51 spacers were already in the backboard covered by part 27 which turned out to be a foam pad. First of all, there is NOTHING in the drawing to indicate this is a foam pad (it looks like it should be metal from the drawing) and secondly, the drawing clearly shows that parts #51 and #27 need to be assembled into the backboard when in actuality, Spalding did it for you at the factory. I hope this saves someone out there time.
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