Tips for securing baskets
For starters, there are so many different basket manufacturers to choose from, several new ones have been approved by the PDGA in the past year.
Gateway's baskets get high marks because the lock shackle goes thru the anchor and the pole, so the pole will not come out of the anchor unless the shackle is cut, whereas a DGA basket (Mach II, III, V) simply requires unscrewing one nut and one screw and you lift out the whole pole with cage and chain assembly, and leave the anchor, sleeve, and intact lock behind, truly lame when you think about it. We just had hole 3 stolen from CSUMB/Oaks (2011 Pro Worlds course), and that was the fifth basket stolen in the past 2 years..............
So here are a couple pointers:
Use plenty of cement, an extra $ 1 of cement can be that is needed to give the thief a hernia, I would always use at least an 80 lb bag, not a 60 lb bag.
Use RED (not Blue) Locktite on the bolts/nuts, so in the case of a DGA basket, that will prevent the chain assembly from being lifted off, and also prevent the pole sleeve from being liberated from the pole.
Even better, if you know someone with a portable welder, put a couple welds on the assembly so the parts can not be detached and removed from the overall assembly.
When it comes to selecting locks, these days some lock makers are using harder shackle metals, which should he harder to cut, so spend the extra money to get the boron carbide shackles, etc. And also try to get the locks that do not have exposed shackles, bolt cutters will have a real hard time getting any contact with the shackle if you use those types of locks.
Hope that someday there is a cheap Lojack service that can track a basket if it disappears.
Also think about a way to permanently mark your baskets so if anybody ever sees the stolen baskets, they will know exactly where they came from. Talk to an experienced metal worker, they may know how to etch or weld some logo onto the assembly.
