PORTABLE BATTING CAGE WITH L-SCREEN THE MOST AFFORDABLE AND FLEXIBLE BATTING CAGE AVAILABLE TODAY
SAVE Hundreds On Our Batting Cages Over The Competition! We did some price comparison shopping on the internet. Shipping is hard to figure. Most companies don't tell you what it is or wait until you "check out" to tell you. It is also difficult to compute the total cost of a cage. Most companies have unbundled pricing and sell "net only" so trying to compare apples to apples is difficult. Find out the complete cost of a cage before you buy. The poles used on our cages are 3/4" EMT (electrical metallic tubing), trade name "thin wall." These are steel galvanized pipe and are standard 10' long, you don't have to cut or bend them, they are ready to go off the shelf. They are quite common and readily available at places like Home Depot and Lowe's for around $5.00 each. A 70 foot cage takes 38 poles (about $200. In addition to our cage cost).
* Affordable - Priced with the family in mind -- a 50' cage with #21 netting the price is only $725. This price includes netting, connectors, L-screen, all hardware and shipping. No installation kits to buy, cement to pour, or holes to dig. You’ll need to go to Home Depot of any building supply store and purchase 3/4” EMT. Each pole costs between $3.00 and $4.00. You will need 28 poles for the 50 foot cage, 33 poles for the 60 foot cage and 38 poles for the 70 foot cage.
* Durable - The system is stable and safe. The nylon netting is made in the USA. It is strong, UV protected, and will last for years. The #21 gauge has a burst strength of 200 pounds per strand or about 800 pounds per mesh (diamond).
* Portable - Unlike other cages, this system is PORTABLE! Two people can put up the cage in about 30 minutes, my son and I have put it up in fifteen minutes. This works out great for a team practice. With help from your team, it will go up in minutes! It comes down in even less time. The L-screen is portable too, its support legs come off and the screen folds in half.
* Flexible - Put up as few or as many sections as you like, up to the length of your cage. Each section is 10' long. It automatically fits the contour of your ground, which does not have to be level. It can be adjusted to fit narrower confines and can even be tapered to fit odd shaped spaces.
* Versatile - Indoors or outdoors. Not only does it make a great outdoor batting cage, but it can be taken indoors during inclement weather or during winter to keep your players in shape. Utilize existing space and create an extra hitting station.
DETAILS
* Dimensions - The cage is trapezoidal in shape: 10' tall, 10' wide at the top, and about 14' wide at the bottom. The poles are 3/4" EMT - Electrical Metallic Tubing. The poles are 10' long steel galvanized pipe and available at hardware and electrical supply stores such as Home Depot. The L-screen is 6.5' tall by 7' wide with a 3'x3.5' cutout.
* Netting - The netting is 1 7/8" knotted nylon mesh. The #21 is rated at 200 lb. breaking strength per cord or 800 lb. per mesh. The netting hangs on the diamond, not on the square. This allows for more give when hit by a ball so there is less chance for tear and less abrasion. It also allows water to run-off more quickly. Here is a close-up snapshot of the #21 netting. All netting is made in the USA. The netting perma-black a product of Solutia, formerly Monsanto. One of the most important aspects of quality netting for batting cages is its tenacity. It should have a tenacity of at least 8.0. Perma-black netting has a tenacity of at least 9. Beware of any netting not made in the USA. It normally does not have the durability or tenacity of netting made in the USA.
* UV Protection - The netting is dipped in a black latex vinyl for protection from weather and UV. Unlike other cage companies, our netting is dipped after the knots are made. This sets the knots so they won't come undone.
* Less Sag - Another advantage of our design over the traditional netting is it has much less sag. With our ten foot sections and the fact that the netting is hung over the frame means considerable less sag, only a few inches rather than feet. Traditional cages normally have only three or four frames to support the netting. The weight of the netting causes tremendous sag, in some cases 2-3' of sag. It is not uncommon for a 12' high traditional cage to only have 9' of height clearance. Look at some of the pictures on the web and see. Most of the time the other cage manufacturers will only display drawings of their netting, of course with no sag!
50' (L) x 10' (W) plus "L" screen
60' (L) x 10' (W) plus "L" screen
70' (L) x 10' (W) plus "L" screen
Q: With the netting on the outside of the poles, isn't there more
chance for ricochet and injury?
A: No. Because of the flexibility of the
EMT poles there is more give, so the ricochet is considerably
less than with 2" steel poles set in cement. In actual
use for over five years, even when the ball strikes directly
on a pole it simply dies. Because of the give in the poles,
the batted ball's energy is absorbed.
Q: How much does it sag?
A: A few inches. With cages where the netting
is hung on the inside there is tremendous sag. This is why
most cages are a minimum of 12' high in order to have about
10' of clearance inside the cage. In addition, because of
our design, there is much less tension and wear at the corners
and middle. The weight is evenly distributed over the entire
width and length of the cage adding to the life of the netting.
Q: Is it sturdy?
A: Very. You won't be able to do chin ups
or shimmy up the poles. It is, however, strong enough to support
the netting and take the beating of the batted balls. A first
appearance the frame looks "flimsy", but after trying
it out, you’ll realize how sturdy and strong it really
is. The connectors are made of steel and the angled joints
are welded. The #21 is rated at 200 lb. breaking strength
per cord or 800 lb. per mesh.
Q: Can it be used indoors?
A: Yes. The only consideration is the floor
upon which you are setting the cage. You may need to put rubber
cups (not supplied) over the ends of the poles to protect
the floor. However, when it is indoors you will have a free-standing
system not requiring pulleys, cables or anything attached
to the walls or ceiling.
Q: How quickly does it go up?
A: Amazingly fast! After some practice, two
people can put it up in about 20 minutes, even we were surprised.
The very first time may take a little longer, but once you
attach all the connectors simply leave them attached to the
poles that go across the top. The only tool required is a
7/16" wrench or socket used to bolt the poles into the
connectors. If you desire to bolt the legs into the connectors,
you will need to stand on a ladder. I have put up the cage
by myself. It has been up for months at a time without the
legs even being bolted into the connectors. If you have your
team help, it can go up in minutes.
Q: If you are using a pitching machine, don't you
need a stronger backdrop behind the batter?
A: Not really. Since the netting can give,
not having a backdrop is better. The net gives everywhere
and so there is less abrasion and wear and tear on the net.
Q: Don't balls skip under the netting?
A: Occasionally. The netting is about 36'
wide and the frame perimeter is 30', so there is plenty of
overhang. However, if the ball is hit just right - at the
point where the netting and ground meet there is the possibility
of the ball skipping under. This doesn't happen that often.
You can purchase leaded rope or any poly rope and lace the
bottom edge to give a little extra weight so the net will
stay on the ground. We used an old hose filled with water
and it holds the net down very well.
Q: Can it be used for softball?
A: Yes, even though the L-screen is designed
for overhand pitching. You can stand behind the "tall"
part of the screen and pitch around the edge.
Q: Since the cage is not fastened down, what about
wind?
A: Wind is the one weakness of the system.
Since it is a free-standing light weight system, unless the
cage is anchored down, high winds can tip the cage over. Here
are some solutions to solve the wind problem:
Solution #1: If the winds are temporary, simple take the net
off the frame during the high winds and lay it on the ground.
The frame doesn't care at all about high winds (there is no
resistance).
Solution #2: Under the netting, tie a rope on each corner,
run the rope parallel to the leg, then anchor it in the ground
with a tent peg or stake. If you have a 70' cage, you may
want to tie down one of the middle legs on each side. This
will hold the frame to the ground and keep it from swaying
and tipping over in strong winds. This has the added advantage
that only the frame is anchored to the ground, so the netting
is still loose and not anchored to the frame. This is only
for winds in excess of 70mph.
Solution #3: Use re-bar or something similar about 1.5' to
2' pound into the ground next to the leg poles. Drill a small
hole in the leg pole about 6"-8" up from the bottom
and run a wire through the leg pole and around the re-bar.
Q: Is #21 strong enough?
A: Yes. Unlike traditional cages, our netting
gives on impact. Thus, there is less abrasion and stress on
the netting. The physics of this design is based on the Law
of Conservation of Momentum. (Here are some details for those
who are interested. The Law of Conservation of Momentum states:
The total momentum of a group of objects is the same after
they interact as it was before. Momentum of an object is its
mass times its velocity (p=mv). Before collision, a batted
ball has positive momentum and the net has zero momentum.
After the collision the total momentum is the same. But if
the net can give at the time of impact the initial momentum
of the ball is shared between the ball and the net. The more
the net can give, the more the momentum of the ball is reduced
after the collision. A good analogy would be that of trying
to catch a tossed egg. If you stick your hand up and don't
move you will most likely end up with egg on your face! If
you allow your hand to move with the egg you can catch it
and the egg won't break. With traditional cages, the net is
tied or anchored at several points to the frame. This prevents
the net from giving whenever the ball hits the net at or near
the anchored points. As a result, at the point of impact there
is tremendous force and if the net cannot give it may tear.
If it doesn't tear, the abrasion is much greater and will
wear down the netting much more quickly. Thus most traditional
cages require (or strongly suggest) that you use #36 netting.
Warranty -- We warranty the net, L-screen, and connectors for one year from date of purchase. The warranty covers baseball/softball related use. We do not warranty non-baseball/softball activities: lawn mower damage, animals chewing holes in the net, etc. We will send scraps we have on hand to repair the net in those non-sports related instances. There may be a nominal charge for such scraps.