Read the reviews -- ALL the reviews -- and you will get a really good picture in your mind of what to expect. The basket ball goal seems to be of good quality -- but there are challenges you must face during the build stage...
The box the item is shipped in is terribly flimsy. Luckily, nothing fell out of my box, and the backboard was not broken.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON: We took everything out of the box, and laid it out in the garage for easy picking when needed. Inventory went well (we actually had some extra parts), but the plastic bags are NOT labeled to show what is inside. This leaves a little bit of guess work, and is irritating. There is already printing on the bags -- Lifetime should just print the part numbers on the bag for easy identification.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The first step is to dig a huge hole, and use 15 bags of 50# cement. We only used 11 bags of cement, despite following the directions exactly. While the concrete set for the next three days, we assembled the basketball goal in the garage.
SATURDAY: Despite the instructions saying three adults could put this basketball goal together, we were challenged with four adults. The first few pages of the instructions only show 2 or 3 parts and are easy to follow -- but the instructions become much more complicated with the turn of each page. Images are too small and not detailed enough to figure out exactly what needs to be done. Be ready to take things apart after you install them! Also, I used a 4-pound sledge hammer, and used the outside wall of my brick house to try to seat the poles as instructed -- it's simply not possible, as the 2x4 piece of wood eventually split in half (and the poles were STILL not seated as required by the instructions).
SUNDAY: Day of rest. Mother's Day. We couldn't work on it at all, because our mothers and wives are so darned demanding... :)
MONDAY AFTERNOON: We put the final parts together, and installed the poles with the previously described 4-pound sledge hammer. Again, it is not possible to install the poles as instructed, as the second piece of wood split in three places (and the poles were STILL not seated as required by the instructions).
SUGGESTIONS:
1) The edges of the backboard are EXTREMELY SHARP -- I cut myself twice on Monday afternoon (completely filleted my index finger once, and just a normal cut on my thumb a second time). I did not see a warning in the instructions, and it would be really easy for Lifetime to simply bevel the sharp edge a little to get rid of that razor sharp edge!
2) Lifetime needs to include the thickness of the powder coat in their assembly process. There is absolutely NO WAY we could have assembled this basketball goal without that 4-pound sledgehammer. Bolts didn't fit into holes without several taps from the sledgehammer. The three part 10-inch pole never did properly fit together -- even WITH the 3-pound sledgehammer.
3) Lifetime needs to reconsider the order in which the parts are installed. It is nearly impossible to install the raising/lowering arms on the 10-inch pole with the backboard and hoop already installed. The hoop should be installed LAST, so you can lay the backboard FLAT and easily install the raising/lowering arms on the 10-inch pole.
4) After getting to page 44 of the instructions (with only 7 pages to go), we decided to ignore the instructions, take OFF the raising/lowering arm, and install the basketball goal in the order that actually makes sense. After we deviated from the instructions, the assembly went very smoothly and without much stress.
In all, we spent about 8 hours putting it all together (not including time waiting for the concrete to dry). The finished product is AWESOME -- my three kids and I absolutely love it!
Just be prepared to be frustrated (and add some blood, sweat, and tears) during the assembly process. :)