Indestructable Rural Mailbox?

[George2615]

My mail is only delivered correctly when my regular carrier is working, when on vacation or off, my mail is either lost, delivered to the wrong address or I get every one's mail to deliver. I've replaced my box 4 times in 20 years. I could cure this by getting a P.O. Box as I'm retired and go out every morning to get my news paper and go right past the P.O. but I'll be darned if I'll pay the P.O. to not deliver my mail.

Some areas don't have an option. The rural area where I lived 45 years ago had a P.O. but no delivery. All local residents had to get a PO Box if you wanted to get mail. I'm still in a rural area and have delivery. Mailbox damage doesn't happen that often here so I don't mind repairing or replacing as needed.

 

[cat fever]

Mine was damaged several times by vandals. I finally just put it in a 5 gallon bucket with rocks. When they tipped it over, I just stood it back up. :laughing:

Now I have a 6X6 post in ground and a heavy duty mailbox. This picture was in the building stage, it has a canopy now. So far, no damage.

 

[oosik]

Closest town(10 miles) is a college town - nuff said. Just about like RNeumann said - neighbor down the road put a standard galvy metal mail box INSIDE a two and half foot chunk of HEAVY DUTY JohnsMansville 16" or 20" diameter water pipe. Its that pipe thats light robin's egg blue color. Been sitting there, along side the road, for 3-4 years now with no damage.

 

[LD1]

This is usually a pretty hot topic.

IF your mail carrier is that bad, call your local postmaster and file a claim. Thats first and foremost.

Second, gotta have a box thats "postmaster" approved. Meaning if you make some homemade conglomerate they can either make you remove or refuse to deliver your mail. OR worse is liability if you have a 50# mass of steel on top of a pole, and someone swerves and takes it out (animal in the road, slippery road, kids, etc) and that mass detaches and goes through a window and kills someone.

And third, the post. Same liability as above. As fun as it sounds to stick a 12" diameter solid steep pipe 10' in the ground and surrounded by 5 yards of concrete......your @$$ is in hot water if someone gets in an accident and injured as a result.

Your mailbox (typically) is in the state, county (whatever jurisdiction) right away. Gotta abide by their rules.

Go to lowes. They have heavy duty mailboxes with 1/8" steel instead of the thin sheetmetal. Get a mailbox post from there as well. If something happens.....you are covered from a liability standpoint. And those heavier duty mailboxes, they will survive just fine. Might have to replace the post on occasion....but better than killing someone for getting into an accident.

 

[rekees4300]

Anyone out there have to replace your mailbox because the delivery person keeps whacking it? I am tired of straightening out the box and refuse to replace it again with a cheapo sheet metal one. Stainless heavy duty is my next option but the large ones are spendy.

We've had this heavy duty plastic model ($60 at Amazon) mounted on a 4" X 4" post without any damage for 17 years (knock on wood). These are strong enough to withstand snow plows but weak enough that a car driver wont be injured in a collision. Putting up a strong enough mailbox to stop a car has liability risks.

View attachment 517946

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Ours was destroyed by kids with a bat; replaced it with a plastic one and that worked for a lot of years. I could tell by marks on it that it had been struck with a T-post with negligible damage a couple of times.

 

[jajiu]

All this talk about liability if a car hits it, that's bull, what about telephone poles, I suppose you will sue the phone company if you hit one and it doesn't move and your car is totaled?

 

[flyerdan]

Utilities have huge legal departments with far more time and money than the average individual so they can outwait and out obfuscate in order to get their result. Also, they have the support of the municipality, and therefore the court system.
How about a light tubing cage extending about two feet on the right side and angled over the top of the box so if some s@#$apple came at it with a bat from a moving car it would deflect up into the air, hopefully all the way back to their roof or back window.

 

[LD1]

All this talk about liability if a car hits it, that's bull, what about telephone poles, I suppose you will sue the phone company if you hit one and it doesn't move and your car is totaled?

Good luck with that in court.

Certain things are a given. Guard rails, utilities poles, bridge supports, etc.

Its about mitigating unnecessary risks. Making a rock solid mailbox = unnecessary risk.

Why do you thing road signs, stop signs, etc are all breakaway design?

 

[/pine]

Utilities have huge legal departments with far more time and money than the average individual so they can outwait and out obfuscate in order to get their result. Also, they have the support of the municipality, and therefore the court system.
How about a light tubing cage extending about two feet on the right side and angled over the top of the box so if some s@#$apple came at it with a bat from a moving car it would deflect up into the air, hopefully all the way back to their roof or back window.

Exactly...That is why both utility companies and municipalities are always getting sued...(they have deep pockets and lots of insurance) and ambulance chasers know it all too well...

It would not surprise me at all if most homeowner liability policies have clauses about mailboxes meeting USPS and municipal regulations about private property on public ROW etc...