Adjustable Basketball Hoops have come a long way in technology and design over the last 20 years. The days of heavy lifting to a precision point to then have a friend stick a metal bolt into a socket to hold the height of an adjustable basketball hoop have long passed. The days of hanging an adjustable basketball hoop from the top of your garage and then watching as the bolts ripped a hole in the roof as the unit came pummeling back to earth left us in the late 80’s. Today’s adjustable basketball hoops are manufactured for safety, ease of use, strength and durability.
Adjustable Basketball Hoop Safety
Safety is engineered directly into the product as design teams set out to find ways to allow the smallest and youngest of players to be able to enjoy having an adjustable basketball hoop in their driveway. Time was spent considering the total weight of the adjustable basketball hoop system in relation to the backboard and rim configuration that would actually be moving. Care was taken to be sure that pins are not used that may have led to fingers being pinched and hands being jammed into sliding metal poles as they contract to lower an adjustable basketball hoop.
Adjustable Basketball Hoop Ease Of Use
The systems today generally fall into one of 3 types of categories for designs to aid in the movement of adjustable basketball hoops. Probably the most ingenious convention introduced was the use of counter-balance weights to offset the weight of the basketball pole and backboard unit. These weights allow the end user to feel as though they are moving a fraction of the total weight of the adjustable basketball hoop while easily moving what can be up to 300 pounds of metal and acrylic.
The second engineering most beneficial introduction was the use of pulley systems that have been moved inside of the hollow poles. This has been terrific for two main reasons. The first is that when the pulleys were outside there was a constant risk of getting hands and fingers pinched between the cables and the hand crank or the pulley wheel – that has been eliminated. The second reason is that pulley systems do what they do best, allow for more weight to be lifted than the actual force being applied to lift it. So smaller people and people with less strength are able to move the adjustable basketball hoops up and down without always having to have Dad help out. For development of younger players, this is a great step forward.
The third invention was the use of an air cylinder and a hand crank to be able to offer the premium adjustable basketball hoops the ease of movement that was previously only enjoyed by the smaller systems. The air cylinder acts as a pneumatic device to maintain the current position of the pole as it is raised and lowered. The cylinder smoothes out the force required to raise or lower the unit while keeping constant force, allowing the crank to move through its screw designed unit to easily move the adjustable basketball hoop system.
Adjustable Basketball Hoops Strength and Durability
Not long ago adjustable basketball hoops were inferior to their in ground, permanent counter parts. The mechanisms were not in place to allow for high quality steel and heavy acrylic backboards to be used because they could not be raised or lowered without a winch system being installed. This system proved too costly for most hoop fans, few were sold and consumers did not consider them often as they were purchasing hoop systems. The introduction of better mechanized raising and lowering capabilities led to better grades of steel being used in the pole and support systems which then provided the ability to support better glass and acrylic backboards. This capability made them attractive to consumers and now adjustable basketball hoop systems are one of the best purchases for the aspiring basketball athlete to have in his or her driveway while they work on their game.
