Mach Lite Basket Base problem

[tboese]

Hey Guys,

Just picked up a Mach Lite off Craig's List and I'm loving the basket. There is really only one annoyance I have about it. It's about how the basket piece, connects to the stand. I had been borrowing my friends Skillshot and got used to being able to move the basket around easily (I can move it around the yard for uphill vs downhill putting practice).

Either way, if you haven't seen these baskets it might be kind of hard for me to explain this specifically, but I'll do my best. Basically the base for these two baskets are very similar, and basically use the same concept. The legs are attached to a little metal piece that can slide up or down (to extend or collapse the legs). With the skill shot, there is a pole that this metal piece is covering. So to think of it, if you held on to the pole, the metal piece would simply slide down and the feet would extend. Or you could hold on to the metal piece, and the pole would slide down and collapse.

With the Skillshot, the main basket assembly attaches to the pole. That means if you want to move the basket around, you pick it up and it's like holding on to the pole. Gravity keeps the feet extended and you just move it and set it down.

With the Mach Lite, there is not a pole that the metal piece slides up and down, the metal piece is simply free moving. There is basically a little nub on the base of the stand that the metal piece fits on to lock in place (meaning no sideways movement, still can move up though). At this point the main basket assembly attaches to the metal piece instead of a pole like the Skillshot. So if you were to pick up the basket to move it by holding on to the main basket assembly, the feet would collapse as soon as they leave the ground.

I realize that this can be mitigated simply by changing how I pick up the basket (grab the base to make sure the feet stay extended, and the main assembly and just carry it horizontally), but I'm lazy and don't like having to bend over more than I have to from picking up all my missed putts... :?

Does anyone else have this basket, and have you thought of any simple way of locking the base down? Just curious. I'm willing to spend some time rigging up a locking mechanism if it'll save me effort in moving the basket. I guess I'm just wondering if there's something besides plain wiring it down

I'll try and upload some pictures tonight so it makes a little more sense for those of you who haven't seen these bases.

 

[j-bolt]

Must be a VERY used base, b/c the legs on mine are still fairly difficult to open and close. Just bought a second one and it's base is the same, very tight. I am wondering if the previous user altered the legs or lubed(heehee) the hinges a lot or something.

 

[discbum1]

I'd agree with J-Bolt. I looked at the one in the store and the legs are pretty stiff to open/close.

 

[tboese]

Intersting. I'll have to look at it when I get home. The basket looks almost brand new, or very slightly used. I wonder if there is a way on the legs to tighten the hinges on them so that they are stiffer. Thanks for that info.

 

[Dogma1]

Mine are floppy. I put a nylon strap around one leg, which keeps the whole thing open when lifted.

 

[tboese]

Do you put this close to the connection point between the leg and the base there, to kind of lock it to the bottom?

 

[cali]

The feet on my base are the exact opposite of what you explained.

 

[Dogma1]

Do you put this close to the connection point between the leg and the base there, to kind of lock it to the bottom?

The trick is to go through the hole in the lower assembly so the strap can't slide sideways and fall off.

 

[Dogma1]

The other thing I suggest is to put a sturdy key ring through the pin that holds up the basket. Then put a smallish but brightly colored carabiner on it. This allows you to a) clip the pin to your chains when you fold up the basket, and b) find the pin when an errant putt knocks it out and sends it flying into dark places.

 

[Coldpunk1]

We used bungee cords to rig the bottom similarly to the picture posted previously.

 

[tboese]

I figured a fairly simple way to get it to stay down, at least so far. I put two thin strips of velcro on the male end of the base, this way the female end fits tightly when you set the base up. I tried putting some on all 3 sides, but it was just too tight and it was pulling the velcro off, so I pulled a piece off and it fit very well.

Not sure about the pin thing. My model seems fairly new, but the pin I have has this attached lock type thing. Basically it's connected on one side of the pin, and swings over to be locked over the other end of the pin. I haven't had any problems with this coming lose, and when the basket is not open, there's a hole for the pin to lock the basket collapsed also.

Here's a picture of it:

The other side of that lock on the pin looks exactly the same, and just fits over the other side of the pin. When collapsed that pin goes back into the same hole on the base of the basket, but instead it fits through the hole that you see at the bottom of the pole then.

 

[Dogma1]

Yeah your pin looks different from mine. I don't have the locking retainer. I can't count the number of times a putt has sent mine flying. Thats a nice improvement. I do have the hole at the base to put the pin through when the basket is collapsed, I'm just too lazy to use it.