Safely Installing a Bolt Down Basketball Goal

If you are thinking about installing a bolt down basketball goal in your driveway or backyard court, there is one major safety concern that you should be aware of before you buy. Typically, a bolt down goal uses a series of four anchor bolts imbedded into the concrete, and it may be tempting – in an effort to save time perhaps – to attempt to install the goal onto existing concrete. Installing the goal in this manner can not only jeopardize the longevity of your new basketball hoop, it can also cause injury to players and damage to property if the goal footing fails.

Safety Hazard - Securing a Bolt Down Basketball Goal onto Existing Concrete

Securing a bolt down basketball goal to existing concrete is incredibly dangerous and should never be attempted. Regardless of the thickness of the concrete, this is an incautious installation decision and will almost always eventually fail.

Once, a general contractor chose not to heed the warning about bolt down basketball goal installation. Instead of following procedure as called for in the installation instructions, the contractor chose to drill into the side of his driveway and epoxy anchors into the driveway. This was quick and easy and he was certain these anchors could hold up a basketball goal, since he’d used them previously on large metal buildings. Indeed, this type of installation can provide instant gratification since the goal can be installed in very little time.

Sometime later, the contractor came home to find his basketball goal lying on the hood of his new truck. This was an expensive lesson to learn for the contractor, but it could have been much worse had the goal fallen on someone, instead of something. The hood of a car or truck can be fixed, but if a heavy duty basketball goal falls on a player, the result could be life threatening.

Correct Installation Method

The correct procedure for installing an in ground, bolt down basketball goal is as follows:

1. Dig the proper size hole
2. Pour fresh concrete
3. Imbed the supplied anchor bolts via the anchor template

In Conclusion

Atomic Sports’ number one priority is your satisfaction with our in ground goals, and we would rather forfeit the sale than have one of our customers risk their safety by attempting to bolt their goal down onto existing concrete.

Please always follow the installation instructions that come with your basketball hoop and do not skip steps. Saving a little time and effort is not worth the long term risk to players and property. As always, we are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

- Dale Brubacher (Owner, Atomic Sports)