Customer Reviews

Spalding 74307 Portable Basketball System with 52-Inch Acrylic Backboard

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This hoop system is the top of the line portable from Spalding/Huffy. The backboard arrived chipped and will be replaced by Huffy. The contruction took about 7 hours with two adults. The manual identifies hardware by code, but the hardware itself is unmarked. A lot of time is spent trying to identify nuts and bolts of different sizes. Most troubling was the fact that a different backboard was substituted for the one in the manual and in the picture on the box and the web, and as a result, I installed the brackets incorrectly. If parts have been changed, they should have a "read this first" manual to avoid the problems I had. I would recommend opening all of the parts first and laying them out. That way if there are substituted parts with their own instructions it will be noticed before simply following the manual and making mistakes. The manual is very clear to build the pole section to certain tolerances. Unfortunately, no amount of "bouncing" the pole sections together achieved the recommended tolerances. This thing is not user friendly to build. Even though construction was a major pain, some parts are still not together correctly, parts were missing and/or substituted without notice and there were extra parts apparently not needed, the finished product is very nice and my children are enjoying it. However, I can't help but think that Spalding/Huffy could do a better job making this thing easier to get up and running. They should hire me to re-write the manual, mark the hardware with codes corresponding to the manual, notify the customer of changes to the product and verify that all parts are included in the box.

We looked at a lot of different basketball systems before buying this one. After reading the experiences of others, I found somebody to assemble it for me. It cost an extra $175, but it was well worth it, as the guy did a perfect job in (eat your hearts out) 2 hours.

In operation, the system works great. There is a little shaking of the backboard when a hard-shot ball hits it, but not enough to alter the game. The slanting support post is a great safety feature, as nobody runs into it after a fast lay-up. The four-wheel base with the folding handle makes it very easy to pull around the driveway as required, and doing it that way is a lot safer than a 2-wheel setup, as you don't have to lean the thing over and roll it around while balancing it at the same time. When the handle is folded up, the wheels lock and the handle even bounces the ball back into the court sometimes. No complaints about the system. However, I don't know why the ads say that there is "storage" for balls etc., as there really isn't any, except for a flat space on top of the base.

Nothing but good things to say. It was a bit of a struggle, but I did get assembled by myself - would have been a LOT easier with 2 people. One suggestion to assemblers: make sure you read the part about working the bolts through the holes before you actually assemble it - the fit is VERY tight. I ended up running a Dremel around the inside of each of the holes to sand off the paint and it made it a ton easier. As far as the system itself, it is awesome. Very easy to roll around, easy to move up and down, rock solid when you are playing on it.

I bought the Spalding 74307 Portable Basketball System from Amazon 6 months ago, and it works great. I assembled everything all by myself. The assembly went fine, as I payed careful attention to the instructions, and also used some of the tips from the reviews here on Amazon.

Even though this is a portable system, it's just as rigid, or even more rigid, than many in-ground systems. Although we don't use the height adjustments, they work smoothly and easily. We also don't move our system around very much, but it's also very easy to move.

Three of my kids have each made over 15,000 shots on this system since we got it (for a contest through our local basketball association). It's held up wonderfully, and is just as good as the day I first set it up (although the net is wearing). I'd highly recommend this to anybody who's serious about basketball.

Very sturdy portable goal, easy to put together with 2 people, took about 3-4 hours. Great free shipping from Amazon.

Assembly took 5hrs and luckly we had the extra Tools that we needed! The reviews I read before I bought it were very accurate as far as assembly.Also the reviews about the Base were true,we noticed our base was cracked as we filled it with water.

Other than those draw backs it is a great product,sturdy,and easy height adjustment.

Hope this helps someone!

Once this is assembled it serves its role well. The backboard is relatively rigid and the rim is firm so the rebounds are what you would expect. It is very easy to move around which allows me to roll it into the middle of the cul de sac at the end of the street for shooting around with the kids. As others have mentioned it is a bit of a pain to assemble. The directions are decent and not nearly as cryptic as other products I have assembled, but the fit of many of the parts is not so good. For the plates that connect the backboard to the support beam I actually had to break out the metal files to ream the holes out so that the bolts would even pass through. On the other holes I was able to make the bolts fit with some light tapping with a hammer. I assembled the whole thing by myself in about 4-5 hours. Be warned though that it is pretty heavy to lift after final assembly. You have to stand it up to fill it with ballast and it is very unstable until the water/sand is added. The wind was blowing the day I did my assembly so I turned it to face the house to make sure it wouldn't tip over in the wind. Once the ballast is added it is very stable.

Maybe someday we will get to play on our new goal. We have had it for over two weeks and have not been able to get it assembled due to missing/incorrect parts. First I was missing a bolt and the eye bolt was too large. This was easily correctable with a trip to the local hardware store (only a couple of dollars extra). Now I have a tube that is missing. Even though I inventoried all the parts after discovering the missing bolt, I didn't notice that they put the wrong tube in the height adjustment package. I have called Spalding's customer service center to get a replacement. The gentleman I spoke with was not very friendly and blamed the problem on the store (Amazon) where I bought the goal. If they looked at their packaging, they would realize that it would be very easy to determine if someone had returned the product and/or removed these parts. I do not like doing business with companies that don't want to take responsibility for their lack of quality control and then are rude to customers when we try to get the correct pieces for their product we purchased. I will never do business with Spalding again! You may be wondering why I gave it three stars anyway. Only because I try to be fair and I have not had a chance to play on the goal yet. If it doesn't live up to the expectations I have, then I will rewrite or change my review. My advice is this...if you buy this (or any Spalding) goal, be sure to inventory the parts very carefully before you start assembling. That way you won't have pieces taking up your garage space as I do.

I finally got the parts needed after a few calls to customer service. By the way, the hours for CS and for the parts department differ, so call early if needed. The assembly was not too bad, once all parts were obtained. I did the entire assembly myself, but it would go faster with another adult. The goal is up and works great. I can easily adjust it to 7.5 feet for my six year old son and then back to ten feet for myself. The best part is the steerable, four wheeled base. I can move it around on the driveway without the hassle of tilting the whole thing one way or another. I would recommend this unit. Basically, I give the goal 5 stars, but the company still gets only three (that's generious). So my overall rating is 4 stars.