Batting Cage Systems: Individual Batting Cage Tunnels? or Shell Net with Dividers? That is the Question
Published Oct 7, 2024
Do You Need MORE THAN ONE Batting Cage In Your Outside Space or Indoor Facility?
If so, in this Must-Read Article, the ATXTurf installation team explains the pros and cons of buying multiple, separate individual tunnels VERSUS ordering a custom, 5-sided shell net with divider nets.
Single Stock Home Batting Cage Net System
ATXTurf constructs pre-fabricated “Stock” Batting Cage Nets, which are single 5-sided batting cage tunnels where all of the sides and ceiling are sewn together with a rope border. Most home and residential customers just need one cage for the backyard or basement and these “Stock” Batting Cage Nets fill this need and are available for purchase on our website here.
Commonly, Schools and Commercial Indoor Facilities need netting for MULTIPLE Cages. 3, 15 x 45s or 4, 15 x 70 foot cages for example.
Facility owners often see the individual “Stock” Cage nets and ask whether it’s reasonable to buy 3 of them, line them up next to each other and retract them.
Technically YES, but is it a good idea? NO.
Here’s why. Look closely at these facilities.
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Cons:
Too Much Netting Material.
In Image 1, notice how much net material is bunched up together when the cages are retracted. There is too much material making it difficult to see from the outside in AND it’s very dark around that one end. The excess netting appears sloppy and kludgy.
Too Much Weight on Cables.
In Image 2, notice how low the nets hang. It’s very difficult to get the individual cages nice and tight inside the facilities. The pre-determined widths of the cages are often “squeezed” into the spaces and “forced.” The the nets hang down too low.
Difficult to Retract
Attempting to retract an entire 5-sided cage net is much more difficult and tedious than retracting a simple, single divider net. Constantly pulling the weight of the entire net pulls down on the cables and results in sagging over time,
Pros:
Shipping Time
Stock Batting Cage Nets are pre-fabricated and can ship a lot faster if you have tight turnaround times. As opposed to Shell Nets with dividers which need to be custom made which can often take 2 or 3 weeks, possibly more for larger areas.
Cost
Because “Stock” Batting Cage Nets are fabricated in volume, you can often find the package to come out to a better square foot price.
Custom Shell Net with Dividers
Image 4
Image 4 shows how much cleaner and lighter the shell net system appears than attempting to line up multiple individual cages. Sliding individual divider nets is much easier and much less. The ceiling net is much higher and doesn’t sag. You can see through into the cage much better from the outside.
Pros:
Much Cleaner
Much Lighter
More Visibility
Cables & Net Don’t Sag as Much
Easier to Retract Single Slider Nets
Custom Size Can be Made to Fit any Building Space
Cons:
Longer Turn-Around Time for Customization
Larger Shell Nets can’t Ship UPS or FedEx. Will be palletized on a Freight Truck.
Multi-Area Facilities & Columns
Some facilities are divided up into different areas or are separated by columns. In these cases, it can makes sense to have both batting cage systems.
Columns in buildings are often 20′ or 25′ apart and makes it tricky to have a continuous shell net throughout. ATXTurf trained installers have become proficient in cutting ceiling nets around columns but that’s tricky for DIYers attempting to install for the first time. In some of these cases, the logistics simply dictate that it makes sense to have a single tunnel net in separate area when there are columns or chain link fences separating areas.
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