Shipping Is Included
Bring gymnasium quality play to your home or institution with a genuine Hercules Diamond basketball system. Available high-performance regulation-sized ½" thick tempered glass backboard and 8" square 7 ga. thick one-piece steel pole delivers unrivaled durability and performance that continues to exceed demanding expectations and out-perform alternatives.
Almost all gymnasiums use ½ inch thick tempered glass backboards while residential hoops use softer and thinner materials. This experiment is intended to determine how a ½ inch thick tempered glass backboard performs compared to traditional residential backboards.
Experiment Parameters - The backboards are all 60 x 36 inches and have identical aluminum framing. The ball used is made of an indoor outdoor synthetic material. All balls were dropped from a consistent 55 inches and were measured with a high speed digital camera. Rebound response is defined here as the percentage of distance the ball bounced back from the original drop height.
Summary - Acrylic was the clear looser with only a 38% rebound response (some manufactures use thinner 3/8 acrylic which was not tested). 1/2 inch glass was the winner beating 3/8 inch glass by approximately 9% with a 69% rebound response.
The Hercules Diamond backboard is encased in a ¼" thick die-cast solid aluminum frame. This adds incredible rigidity to the board and protects the edges of the glass. The glass is locked into place with ¼" steel "L" brackets at each corner. A rubber gasket lines the channel that the glass sits in as a buffer from the metal frame.
This mechanical method of mounting the glass is the same used on competitive NBA and NCAA backboards. Many other residential basketball systems use an adhesive to mount the glass which can weaken over time in the elements and can expose the edges of the glass increasing the chances of breakage.
Tempered glass is approximately 4 times heavier than acrylic. This adds mass to the system and improves the rebound response off of the backboard.
Secondly, tempered glass is harder than acrylic. This creates a much more rigid surface and eliminates the drumhead effect that deadens rebounds on acrylic boards. Also, much like your car windshield, the hard tempered glass will resist scratching and remain clear. Acrylic will scuff and become cloudy over time.
Acrylic does have its place. We recommend it in institutional applications where vandalism is likely. This is because acrylic will not shatter.
In summary, tempered glass is preferred in most situations for its performance and durability over time. If you are concerned about vandalism acrylic might be the better option for you.
The quickest way to determine the quality of a basketball system is to check the pole type. All premium hoops use a square (or rectangular) one-piece pole with 7 gauge or higher thickness.
Stay away from multi-piece poles. Manufactures split the poles into several pieces for shipping and distribution purposes. Right out of the box, you'll see that these joints are the weak link in the system and will weaken more over time from corrosion.
We proudly back the genuine Hercules basketball goal with an unsurpassed warranty. The durable design, quality construction and over 24 years of experience ensure you will enjoy a lifetime of play and never worry about maintenance or replacing your system.
Every part of the heavy-duty Hercules system has been designed to exceed performance expectations under extreme playing conditions. The Hercules goal is completely warranted for dunking and hanging on the rim. Other manufactures did not design their hoops for this kind of aggressive play and will not warrant it.
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Receive 30 or more inches of rain per year - view map |  |
Receive standing snow and or roads are salted - view map |  |
Live within 100 miles of salt water - view map |
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Live in a humid climate (60% or greater relative humidity) - view map |  |
Install basketball system within range of a sprinkler |  |
Want to reduce the risk of weakening bolts and unsightly rust streaks |
The main structural components are dipped and coated in a galvanizing solution that will protect the raw steel from corrosive elements. These parts pass through a molten bath of zinc at a temperature of 860 degrees thoroughly coating them with a thick robust layer of zinc.
This process is commonly known as hot-dip galvanization and prevents corrosion by forming a physical barrier and by acting as a sacrificial anode. The zinc coating reacts with oxygen, water molecules and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to yield an impermeable, tenacious, insoluble layer of zinc carbonate. This level of protection is similar to that of aluminum and stainless steels.
Wikipedia was referenced for this information including the following pages Galvanization, Sacrificial Anode , and Hot-Dip Galvanizing.
All fasteners are upgraded to stainless steel ensuring your system will look great and never weaken or seize up over time. Untreated carbon steel fasteners will be replaced with durable stainless steel to ensure your goal will remain structurally sound and reduce unsightly rust streaks.
Destructive corrosives such as road and costal salt will not weaken fasteners. They also make moving your system a snap! Never worry about rusty fasteners seizing up while disassembling and reassembling the system.
Your system will be warranted against structural damage caused by corrosion for a lifetime!
We are so confident that the galvanized coating and stainless steel fasteners included in the Rust Armor™ package will eliminate any risk of corrosion that we are backing these products up with an extended lifetime warranty that covers damage caused by corrosion.
This warranty covers all environments including brutal costal conditions, salt from road clearing and dense humidity.
