u/Blaaart2026

Balling with no nets sucks. We have a hookless rim in the neighbourhood and I've been playing around with different systems on and off for about two years now.

Don't bother with these . . .

- Cable ties, nylon nets - however you do it, lasts a month at most

- Metal cable ties - waste of time

- S-hooks and open link chain nets - bend/break quickly and nasty on the ball/hands

Our hoop has been up for a couple of months now, in constant public use with no signs of struggle.

Here's the recipe -

Hose clamps, size is the diameter so if your rim is 20mm like ours, something in that range.

- these are 13-20mm, 304 stainless steel, width is 9mm.

- JCS HiGrips have smooth rounded edges and are super strong - (other brands available)

- You should be able to go up to 25mm without any tail showing.

- should be less than 9mm wide to fit the quicklink through.

- you need a 7mm socket driver/wrench for the hex screw.

- screw housing should be on the underside of the rim to avoid the ball path

Quicklinks, size is the thickness of the chain

- these are 3mm, 316 stainless steel.

- feed them through so that the screw is at the back and you are tightening downwards.

- fold quicklink over hose clamp screw head which should be pointing about 8 o'clock on the rim

The net is welded chain galvanised stainless steel so no open links and won't separate.

- these two are 9 loops so you need 18 hose clamps and 18 quicklinks

Play around with the spacing. If you have a wide back plate then bunch them up a bit towards the back so the net hangs evenly.

​​​​Then listen . . .

Balling with no nets sucks. We have a hookless rim in the neighbourhood and I've been mucking around with different systems on and off for about two years now.

Don't bother with these . . .

- Cable ties, nylon nets - however you do it, lasts a month at most

- Metal cable ties - waste of time

- S-hooks and open link chain nets

- if you can pinch it with pliers it will fail.

The Haggerston Hoop has been up for about a month now, in constant public use with no signs of struggle.

Here's the recipe -

Hose clamps, size is the diameter so if your rim is 20mm like ours, something in that range.

- these are 13-20mm, 304 stainless steel, width is 9mm.

- this was a bit tight, should be able to go up to 25mm without any tail showing.

- should be less than 9mm wide to fit the quicklink through.

- you need a 7mm socket driver/wrench for the hex screw.

- screw should be facing down and out.

Quicklinks, size is the thickness of the chain

- these are 3mm, 316 stainless steel.

- feed them through so that the screw is at the back you are tightening downwards.

- finger tighten but use pliers slightly at the end.

The net is welded chain galvanised stainless steel so no open links. Can easily hold a human.

- these two are 9 loops so you need 18 hose clamps and 18 quicklinks

Play around with the spacing. If you have a wide back plate then bunch them up a bit towards the back so the net hangs evenly.

​​​​Ca-lang!

Finished!

Balling with no nets sucks. We have a hookless rim in the neighbourhood and I've been mucking around with different systems on and off for about two years now.

Don't bother with these . . .

- Cable ties, nylon nets - however you do it, lasts a month at most

- Metal cable ties - waste of time

- S-hooks and open link chain nets - if you can pinch it with pliers it will fail.

The Haggerston Hoop has been up for about a month now, in constant public use with no signs of struggle.

Here's the recipe -

Hose clamps, size is the diameter so if your rim is 20mm like ours, something in that range.

- these are 13-20mm, 304 stainless steel. Cost £1-£2 each depending on brand.

- you need a 7mm socket driver/wrench for the hex screw.

- screw should be facing down and out.

Quicklinks, size is the thickness of the chain

- these are 3mm, 316 stainless steel. Cost about £2 each

- feed them through so that the screw is at the back you are tightening downwards.

- Can use fingers but pliers slightly at the end.

The net is welded chain galvanised stainless steel so no open links. Can easily hold a human.

- these two are 9 loops and were about £30 each.

​​​​Ca-lang!

​It was pretty hot today . . .

Outdoor hookless basketball rim

• Plastic cable ties, nylon net  - failed in two weeks
• Metal cable ties with metal chain net -  failed in a week

Hose clamps are strong, open link chain net and S-hooks, not so much

Next step . . .

Welded link chain net - open links are the weakest part

3mm quick links - use pliers to tighten slightly

On my fifth attempt . . . 

What I’ve tried so far:

• Plastic cable ties, nylon net  - failed in two weeks
• Metal cable ties with metal chain net -  failed in a week
• Heavy duty plastic ties, nylon net, duct tape over and under - failed in 2 months
• Plastic cable ties, double wrapping the tails, nylon net, duct tape ++ - 3 months

Hose clamps

Unless you’re a plumber you might not know about hose clamps (I’m not but I do now!). They are made to withstand extreme radial stretching forces but can take quite a lot of vertical weight, (like100kg/clamp) so way more than enough.

For a chain basketball net you need 12 clamps per rim. For longevity, corrosion resistant stainless steel, 304 is the best for this.

For a solid steel 20mm outdoor rim you need 5mm clearance for most S-hooks so 17-25mm hose clamp, width should be 7-9mm. Most will have a flathead slot and 7mm hex nut - nut driver is essential.

You don’t want any tail sticking out of the screw housing when tight so try some different sizes and get the smallest one to fit your rim and hook.

Push the S-hook through the loop  between the rim and the screw housing, towards the back from both sides. Rotate so the lowest point of screw housing is pointing down and S-hook is hanging down or slightly in but flush with clamp.

Pick your spacing, some rims have a wide backsection where you cannot clamp. You may need to bunch some of  the clamps closer to the back to prevent  spreading the chain at the back too much which can cause spit out.

When you are happy with spacing, tighten the clamps fully with a handheld 7mm nut driver.

Tape as necessary.