ProDunk assembly
Built around a big overhang, and it shatters if you skip the sleeves.
ProDunk hangs its backboard three to five feet off the pole on purpose, so you can play under the basket like a gym, which flips the usual advice about siting the pole. And its glass backboards break if you torque the mounting bolts without the isolation sleeves in place.
A gym hoop for the driveway, with its own rules
ProDunk is a factory-direct premium brand with a long track record and a genuinely different philosophy. Their in-ground systems, the adjustable THOR and APOLLO and the fixed-height HERCULES, are built around a large overhang, the distance the backboard sits forward of the pole, of three to five feet depending on model. Where most brands treat overhang as something to minimise, ProDunk treats it as the point: it is what lets you run in for layups and box out for rebounds under the basket, the way you would on a real court.
That changes how you site the hoop. Instead of keeping the pole close to the court to limit overhang, ProDunk want you to position the pole so your actual playing area sits right up near it, to take full advantage of the reach. It is a different instinct, and getting it right is the first decision.
The other thing that sets ProDunk apart is a signature feature families love, and one specific assembly step that, done wrong, destroys the backboard.
The install, which scales with the model
A small APOLLO and a big THOR are very different digs.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| APOLLO 54 / 60 (dig + pier)16in square, 3ft deep, 9 bags of concrete. | half a day | 2 |
| THOR Gold / Silver20in square, 3ft deep, 15 to 20 bags. | half a day | 2 |
| THOR / HERCULES Platinum, APOLLO 7224in square, 4ft deep, 20 to 25 bags. Near the top of the range. | a day | 2 to 3 |
| CuringAn owner waited four days before standing the system. | ~4 days | — |
| Raising the systemThe assembled system runs around 550 pounds. | the heavy step | 2 strong adults |
ProDunk include everything except the concrete, even the rebar. Their pier kit is four or six J-bolts and a template, set in the wet footer with about four inches of thread left proud for the pole.
The things specific to a ProDunk
Put the isolation sleeves on before you torque the backboard, or it shatters
The single most important assembly step on this page, and a mistake that ends in a broken backboard. The glass mounts through holes in the glass, and rubber or nylon isolation sleeves must sit in those holes so the steel hardware never presses directly on the glass. One owner learned this the hard way: they torqued the bolts down without the sleeves, and the backboard cracked into a million pieces on the spot. Fit every sleeve, and tighten to snug rather than gorilla-tight. Glass does not forgive point pressure.
Site the pole for the overhang, not against it
Because ProDunk’s overhang is a feature, the siting advice inverts. You want your playing area as close to the pole as you can, so the backboard reaches out over where you actually play. Set the pole a little off the driveway edge so a car reversing or a snow plow cannot clip it, but plan the layout around using that three-to-five feet of reach rather than trying to tuck the board back over the pole. Overhang is measured at ten feet and grows as you lower the rim, so account for that if you play low.
The five-foot adjustment is the reason to buy it, and it is genuine
The THOR adjusts down to five feet, the lowest in the industry, and families with young children buy it specifically for that. Owners report four and six year olds cranking it down themselves. If a grow-with-the-kids hoop is what you want, this is the feature, just confirm your model and its adjustment range, since the APOLLO stops higher at seven and a half feet and adjusts less easily.
Match the concrete and the hole to your specific model
The dig varies a lot across the range, from a sixteen-inch, three-foot hole with nine bags on a small APOLLO to a twenty-four-inch, four-foot hole with twenty to twenty-five bags on a Platinum. Use three-thousand-PSI or stronger concrete, bell the hole out at the bottom so the cured plug cannot lift, and do not skimp if your soil is loose or sandy. Getting the pier square and level in the wet footer is what determines whether the finished hoop is plumb.
You can sometimes bolt to existing concrete, but check the slab first
Unusually, ProDunk support this if your slab is at least six inches thick and steel-reinforced. Drill a pilot hole to confirm the thickness, and size the wedge anchor accordingly, for six-inch concrete you want a nine-inch bolt, roughly five inches embedded and four inches of thread. If the slab is thinner or unreinforced, the honest answer is to cut or jackhammer through it and pour a proper footer. This is one of the few legitimate bolt-to-concrete cases, but only after you have verified the slab.
The directions are thin, but the phone help is real
A consistent theme in reviews: the printed instructions are workable but not great, and the compensating factor is ProDunk’s phone support, answered, they say, by people with at least ten years of installation experience. If a step is unclear, call rather than guess, especially around the pier and the backboard. It is a genuine advantage of buying factory-direct, and worth using.
Before the pour
Confirm your model’s overhang, adjustment range, hole size and bag count, since they vary widely across the line.
Plan the pole position around the overhang, with your playing area close to the pole and the pole clear of vehicle traffic.
Call 811 for utilities, and rent an auger if you are digging in hard ground.
Have three-thousand-PSI concrete ready, and line up two strong adults for the day you raise the system.
And if you are mounting to an existing slab, drill a pilot hole first to check it is thick and reinforced enough.
Where an installer earns it
By fitting the backboard sleeves and torquing correctly, which is the difference between a lifetime backboard and a pile of glass.
By siting the pole to use the overhang, and setting the pier square and plumb in the footer so the finished hoop is dead straight.
By matching the concrete and hole to your specific model, and belling the hole so the plug locks in.
And by handling the heavy, awkward raise of a five-hundred-pound system safely. ProDunk build a hoop meant to last a lifetime with a warranty that can cover dunking and hanging, and that longevity depends entirely on the concrete, the pier and the glass being done right the first time.
What an installer does
- Fits every backboard isolation sleeve and torques the glass to snug, never bare metal on glass.
- Sites the pole to make use of the overhang and clear of vehicle traffic.
- Digs and bells the hole to the correct size for your model and sets the pier square and plumb.
- Mixes the right amount of 3000-PSI concrete and lets it cure fully before raising the system.
- Raises the roughly 550-pound system safely with enough hands.
- Verifies the rim height and, on a slab mount, confirms the concrete is thick and reinforced enough first.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Why did my ProDunk backboard shatter?
Almost certainly because the isolation sleeves were not in place when the mounting bolts were tightened. The glass must never have steel hardware pressing directly on it, so rubber or nylon sleeves sit in the mounting holes to cushion it. Torque the bolts without them and the glass can crack instantly. Fit every sleeve and tighten only to snug.
Why is ProDunk’s overhang so large?
By design. ProDunk build in three to five feet of overhang so you can play under the basket, layups, rebounds, the way you would on a real court. It also gives you flexibility in placing the pole. The trade-off is that you site the hoop to use that reach, keeping your playing area close to the pole rather than tucking the board back over it.
How low does it adjust?
The THOR line adjusts down to five feet, which ProDunk describe as the industry’s lowest, and it is a major reason families with young children choose it. The APOLLO adjusts down to seven and a half feet and is less effortless to change. Confirm your specific model’s range if low adjustment matters to you.
How much concrete do I need?
It depends heavily on the model. A smaller APOLLO needs a sixteen-inch, three-foot hole and about nine bags, while a Platinum needs a twenty-four-inch, four-foot hole and twenty to twenty-five bags. Use three-thousand-PSI or stronger concrete, and bell the hole at the bottom so the plug cannot pull up.
Can I bolt it to my existing driveway?
Sometimes, if the slab is at least six inches thick and steel-reinforced. Drill a pilot hole to check, and size the wedge anchor to the thickness. If the concrete is thinner or not reinforced, cut through it and pour a proper footer instead. It is one of the few hoops where bolting to existing concrete is legitimately supported, but only after verifying the slab.
Installers.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pro Dunk Hoops. ProDunk is a trademark of its owner, referred to here only to describe the assembly and installation services that independent installers on this directory provide.