The basketball hoop

[Bill Wright]

The other grandad bought it for Buster (8). Buster's dad tried to screw it to the wall and failed. I was invited to Sunday dinner, but asked to come early.

Son-in-law has a good hammer drill (thanks to my advice). He has a full set of SDS drill bits (thanks to my generosity). But the supplied plugs were very hard plastic and were too big to be tapped into a 7mm hole and were loose in an 8mm hole. The supplied screws had narrow necks and big heads. The necks sheared off with only moderate torque applied. Poor lad thought it was him. I had to reassure him that it was the plugs and screws. He had a few plugs and screws loose in his toolbox so we managed. Then we had fish pie.

Bill

[Malcolm Race]

I NEVER use the fixings supplied. 5.5mm SDS, red plugs and 4mm screws will fix most thinds

Malcolm

[Bill Wright]

Ohh that's small! I have red plugs but never use them. It's easier to get a good fix with a bigger plug. I use No 6 or No 8 screws into 7mm plugs, or 8/10 screws into 10mm plugs.

Bill

[FMurtz]

Basket ball hoops need heavy duty metal fixings, people hang off them

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, I had an outdoor alarm device with fixing kit that seemed to have been made to the cheapest possible specs imaginable some years ago, if they are not going to provide things that work, why supply them at all, one wonders?

Its like sometimes you get cable ties for helpfully keeping 12v lines of garden lights tidy, but they are made of a plastic that given one frost and hot summer break up.

I'm sure there is a law of nature involved in this sort of thing. Brian

[Tim+]

But why? There's absolutely no reason to, it's not part of the game. It's just abuse of a bit of sporting eqipment.

Tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Could be just me, but most supplied screws and plugs end up unopened in a box full of such things. They hardly ever look fit for purpose - apart from perhaps fixing into wood.

[soup]

It may not be part of the game/in the rules etc but it happens all the time so should really be catered for

[Tim+]

Let them rip it down once. Then they'll learn a useful life lesson.

Now if we were talking about proper sports ffacilites, council or private, I'd agree, but I can't see the need for such security for a home hoop.

Tim

[soup]

[Marland]

What is abuse to you will be just another game ,adventure, challenge to a youngster. And if it is actually strong enough to take the abuse and so is the surface on which it is mounted you may as well mount firm enough to take that abuse and get more utilisation out of it.

Incidentally I helped someone nearby dismantle a child?s swing as the daughter had grown too old for it. It had only been in place for about 9 years but the thin metal tubing where the swing hangers were mounted and trapped water and crud had corroded to the point that the tubes just crumbled. Fortunately the girl had stopped using it a couple of years before , something to watch out for if you or other members of the family have one. In contrast the 1950?s angle iron of the one I had which saw about 15 years service by me and my siblings is still doing service as part of a shed roof.

GH

[Robin]

According to whose rules? FIBA's allow it in some cases. See 36.2.1

"A technical foul is a player non-contact foul of a behavioural nature including, but not limited to: ... Hanging on the ring in such a way that the weight of the player is supported by the ring, unless a player grasps the ring momentarily following a dunk shot or, in the judgement of an official, is trying to prevent injury to himself or to another player."

[Jim K..]

At age 8? Circus beckons....

[Jim K..]

Hardly self inflicted was it?!