This is fourth time that my mailbox has been smashed!! The first two times I figured it was farm equipment the third time I know it was a pickup truck because I found most of the passengers side headlight and bumper spread out around my ditch this time I dont know what it was. I moved the box five feet behind the white line and it still got smashed this time it was up high about center front of the box. Anybody have any ideas about how to prevent this from happening or at least a more durable box?
Steel… my friend… time to rock n roll. If you think it's too heavy (built) make it one level heavier. Think tractor trailer bumper posts at loading docks. 4' deep hole, in concrete. Steel plate box. You can prolly find someone on the web who sells a "bullet proof" box. Don't take any prisoners… build it so it looks nice… and will make a vehicle fetch up like running head on into a freight train… Gonna need pics…
Believe me Ive been thinking about it theres some steel laying around at work that I could take and build a frame around it and fill it with concrete oh and definitely at least four foot deep. Only problem is this " If you’re mounting a curbside mailbox on a post near the street, the support should be secure and safe. The best supports are designed to bend or fall away if a car hits them. The Federal Highway Administration recommends… A wooden mailbox support no bigger than 4” x 4" A 2”-diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe Bury your post no more than 24” deep, so it can give way in an accident. Don’t use potentially dangerous supports, such as... Heavy metal pipes Concrete posts Farm equipment, such as milk cans filled with concrete In areas with lots of snow, we suggest a semi-arch or extended arm-type support. That way, snowplows will be able to sweep under without knocking it down." Thats from https://www.usps.com/manage/know-mailbox-guidelines.htm Its pretty vague on if thats a suggestion or a law either way I dont think I can do anything as permanent and vehicle damaging as Im thinking about doing.
Based on your Gubmint regs… you could do a swing arm break-away design. Uses gravity to keep it in position. If it's hit, it will swing out of the way and return to center. Main post is a 4" pipe with a 3" pipe inside it. Still have to bury it 4' in concrete. The 4" pipe is cut about 2 feet down from the top… at a 45 degree angle. A horizontal arm is welded to the top section. The 45 degree cut in the 4" pipe is why the arm comes back to center. It rotates around the 3" inside pipe but wants to come back to where the 2 sections of 4" match, cut at 45 degrees. Obviously, ya gotta get the bottom lined up right, cause it's not adjustable (arm positioned where you want it)… then, mount a steel box on it. I'd say you'd satisfy any recommendation by making it break away.
Those guidelines are bolonie. Are wood telephone poles "break away"? My buddy had a roadside commercial building drove INTO by a drunk lady and her lawyer actually tried to fight that the BUILDING damaged her car and injured her. Building been there for 50 years and out of the blue its attacking people??! AHAHA! One of my friends got fed up with the plow tearing his mailbox down year after year no matter what he did. He pile drove an 8" well casing 15ft down and concrete filled it. That was on his land. Then off that put an "arch" about 12-15 ft out with chains coming down. Then on the chains sat a mailbox painted orange and with reflectors. The box was 1/4" plate, so sturdy.
I guess my post is illegal. It is a 8” corn auger buried in concrete. I’ve bumped it a few times with my mower (1,200 lbs) and it didn’t budge a bit. I’m guessing it goes pretty deep. Nobody has called the law on me though...
I would feel the same way after that many times and would want to build it bulletproof. Just remember the mail carrier can attest to when you installed it so if a vehicle looses control and hits it then someone is injured there are more lawyers in the phone book than pizza shops.
Thats what Im afraid of somebody hitting it and getting hurt then out come the lawyers and the headaches. Im going to talk to the post office tomorrow after work and see what they have to say about it.
Can you weld up a heavy duty spring (thinking front coil off a car). To allow a bounce? I'll post my mailbox I'm doing at work on Friday. Got to wait till lines are marked before I dig. But it's been hit 3 times been fixed and modified each a little better each time.
The snowplow takes mine out every year so far. Put the new one three feet down and a little further back this time.
At work our mailbox is on the beginning section of a cultasack. I originally put the first one in like 8 years ago. Replaced & rebuilt like 4 time due to Semi's hitting it. The lastime that it was hit it was from a tandem Fedex truck swing around in the cultasack. The mail box went fly literally 5 foot, smashing the post right to the ground. Well here's my modified new version. It won't stop it from being hit but it do a bit more damage to the hitter... Will see how long this one will last....it's sunk 24 ins with 2 1/2 " tubing incased in concrete. I think a total of 5 bags all together.
I appreciate all the replies and advice. I had wanted to put in something heavy duty but what with having been working 7 days a week and now being out of work due to injury I decided too just fix what I have and replant it and see what happens. I was able to bang out most of the dents and get the door to shut and the flag to raise. I planted it in a different location that will hopefully help it to survive and I also went deeper with it. Only time will tell but Im really hoping this lasts.
