Spalding Performance Acrylic Backboard & Rim Combo

As of the time I purchased it, the product info stated that it "comes with everything you need to mount to a 3.5" pole" which is not true. After I complained, Amazon was quite good to me and covered the cost of the required mount because of this misleading product info. This product itself is very sturdy and in my experience (mounting to a pole) will require two helpers to lift the board while a third person tightens the U-bolts to keep it in place. If you use the adjustable Spalding U-Turn Lift System Bracket, I suggest that you don't put the height level sticker on the lift tube until after you raise the board and set the bolts in place, if you care to have an accurate final indicator of rim height. I gave assembly ease 4/5 because it is ridiculous to have to drill your own holes (six of them) through the metal frame to mount the plastic guards on the underside of the board. The instructions were clear and I was able to fully assemble the board and the lift on my own. 1/5 for mounting system should be 0/5 because it doesn't come with this product. 5/5 sturdiness - you pay a little more to avoid the flimsy polycarbonate backboard. Excellent investment for my family that should last years.

After reading several of the reviews of this product, I was really concerned about purchasing it. However, I decided that with Amazon's great return policy that it would be worth the effort to purchase it and return it if it didn't work as expected. The backboard arrived, not packed the best, but still undamaged.I put the backboard together, with the adjustable bracket I purchased with it, in just a few hours. I waited a week after setting a 1/4" thick steel 4" post in 42" of concrete, before I mounted the backboard to the post. I set it myself, but I would recommend two people as I had some difficulty even though I did get it done.My family and I are very happy with it! Granted my family and I are not heavy into basketball and just casual shooters, it is a great value! I looked at the large heavy, and EXPENSIVE, backboards and could not justify the ridiculous cost of them! I even looked at getting one of "those" as a scratch and dent unit and installing myself, but the cost was still WAY too much for my budget!This backboard, with the adjustable bracket and very heavy duty (but inexpensive) 1/4" steel post I purchased from a local scrap yard, is a great value. We will use it enough to pay for it, but like I said we are just casual shooters and far from serious players of the sport.

I was debating between a cheaper and smaller model but decided upon the 54" from spalding due to the strength of the rim and for the responsiveness of the acrylic backboard. So far it's working out well and I mounted this with the U-Turn system (great mount by the way) on my roof.The installation went fine and one problem I ran into was the size of the screws that attach the underside rim cover. Not sure how they are supposed to fit since the mounting holes have no threads. They wouldn't go in so I had to drill the holes out a little more and eventually they screwed in place. I would recommend 2 people to do the install as you'll need another person holding up the backboard while you insert the two 10" mounting bolts.The other problem I had was the first 2 backboards that were sent to me were damaged in delivery. The first one I ordered had a crack near the rim (walmart.com) and the second backboard was completely in pieces when it arrived. Not amazon's or walmart's fault because the packaging that spalding uses is horrible. There is no foam padding on any of the sides and any slight pressure during delivery will result in a crack! I read this in other peoples reviews but took a chance anyway and by the third one, it arrived undamaged.So I would recommend spending a little extra on this 54" model over the 52" or anything smaller assuming you have the room for it. The steel frame coupled with the 3/8" acrylic provides a good bounce off almost all parts of the backboard with very few if any dead spots.

The 52" backboard was easy to assemble, easy to attach to the Spalding U-Turn Lift System Bracket on the ground. But getting the total assembly up the 4 inch metal post was another story. Too heavy for my 5'2" wife and me. We took the backboard off the bracket and she and I secured the bracket at the correct height so when the backboard is fully extended the rim is at 10". I got a buddy to come over and he, the wife and I attached the backboard to the bracket using ladders to rest the backboard on, The boys held the backboard in place while my wife inserted bolts, washers and spacers. We could have lowered the bracket and attached the backboard and slid it up as well.Instructions tell you to attach the backboard to the bracket while the bracket is close to the ground. When you do that make sure you have al least two people if not three. Fun project everything works great.

This backboard matched w/the Spalding 316 adjustable level mount have gone through 3 Minnesota Tornado Warnings w/extreme wind and hail and doesn't seem to show a scratch on it. Don't listen when people tell you Acrylic is bad, I'm very happy by it's durability. The play of this break away system is very nice, our family and friends have had countless hours of fun on this setup so far. We did a garage mount through a triple header on the bottom of the adjustable mount and 8 foot 2x2 w/long bolts on the top across 6 studs with no issues what so ever. This install does take some work so if you are lazy and have low patience, then hire a handy man or a neighbor via a case of beer to install it for you. If using the Spalding 316 mount, be sure to use Lithim grease on all the moving parts. Whether installing w/a Spalding 316 mount or not, make sure you have a second pair of hands and some good ladders and a pickup truck bed to assist. Highly recommend this rig, but recommend to read other reviews about installation and consult w/handy workers about how to install the system based on your method of madness.