Indestructable Rural Mailbox?

[techman]

A number of years ago I put in one of these: Steel Mailbox Company LLC. - High Quality and Security, Heavy Duty, Locking Mailboxes and Accessories, Shop Letter Locker Mailbox, Fort Knox Mailbox, d'''Vault Mailbox, Manchester Mailbox, Salsbury Mailbox, Architectural Mailbox, Special Lite Mailbox, Mailbox Accessories, Posts, Newspaper Holders, Vandal Proof Mailbox, Anti-Theft Mailbox, Commercial Mailbox, Residential Mailbox, Rural Mailbox, Roadside Mailbox, Mailbox Made in USA, Affordable Mailbox, Indestructable Mailbox | Steel Mailbox Company
Since it has been hit, run over and had several cars crash into it. It has "survived" all of it. The door was ripped off some years ago, so screws/nuts replaced the original weld on the hinge. The side and top have been dented enough several time that the door would not close. That requires some "adjusting" with a 3 lb hammer and a 16" adjustable wrench to re-straighten the metal. usually a hit of black spray paint finishes the job. I also have it bolted through the bottom with 3 x 3/8" bolts to the wooden rack (shared with about 8 other boxes). I think in the case of cars hitting it, the car does not do as well as my box.

Paul

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

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?

I couldn't bear to think that my mailbox would seriously hurt or kill someone that may have swerved or something. I have a cedar post only buried about 8" deep in the dirt. It actually "rocks" in place when it is dry outside. If a car hits it, it will get kicked out of place. I only have a small thin sheet metal mailbox on top. It got bashed in when the county came by and trimmed the trees overhanging the county road. A branch must've fell on it. It still works fine.

 

[tcreeley]

I fix my mailboxes by hammering them out again. Every prom season the local highschool kids hit the mailboxes with a bat as they drive by. - They seem to pick different streets year to year.
I set my mailbox on a pt 6x6 and sunk it 4' in the ground just to the side of my driveway. If you hit it with a car you'll be in the ditch before you know it. It is back a bit from the road and the snowplow does not reach so far if they keep to their plow line.
We never have a problem with it. The 6x6 is solid enough that they would not want to hit it.
I keep it clear in the winter with the bucket on the tractor.

 

[oosik]

I pounded my metal box out four times and then it simply became a lost cause. I have a plastic one now. Around here the county snow plows have drop gates on their belly plows. They will drop and hold back for mail boxes and driveway entrances. Very much appreciated feature - creates a world of good will.

 

[beowulf]

Not quite on point, but for many years the six mail boxes (all lined up in a row on a single structure) at the end of our 850' driveway, and on the highway were so close to the highway that the postal delivery person had to stop half way onto the two lane highway to deposit mail. Same risk for others who came by to pick up their mail. The structure supporting the row of boxes was old and shaky and I wanted to rebuild it. I wanted to move them back as well. I never understood why they were located so close to the highway, but figured it was because there was not much room to move them back from the highway due to the hillside.

I first went to the post office and asked if I could move the row of boxes, and if so, if I could eliminate one of the very old and unused boxes. I was told I could rebuild and move the structure, but would have to leave the old box as someone owns it.

I spent a half a day taking out the hillside, and another half a day putting in new posts and rebuilding the structure and remounting all the boxes. It turned out nicely.

Well, the next day I picked up the mail and found a note from the delivery lady. She said she was constantly scared to death delivering mail there and was so happy to be able to pull up to the boxes completely off the highway and safely deposit the mail. Later I happened to be at the boxes when she arrived and she exited the car and came over to me and thanked me again, and said the structure was the nicest one on her route. A couple of the neighbors later also thanked me as they no longer had to park across the highway and walk over to the mail boxes. Not that big of a deal for me to do this, but it sure made a lot of people happy which was gratifying.

But I suppose if someone somehow had an accident exiting from the boxes and onto the highway they would look to blame someone else for their negligence, and that would be me.

 

[fried1765]

I fix my mailboxes by hammering them out again. Every prom season the local highschool kids hit the mailboxes with a bat as they drive by. - They seem to pick different streets year to year.
I set my mailbox on a pt 6x6 and sunk it 4' in the ground just to the side of my driveway. If you hit it with a car you'll be in the ditch before you know it. It is back a bit from the road and the snowplow does not reach so far if they keep to their plow line.
We never have a problem with it. The 6x6 is solid enough that they would not want to hit it.
I keep it clear in the winter with the bucket on the tractor.

Once upon a time I lived in Minnesota, and had this very same mailbox problem.
The county plowed our road with a grader having a wing plow.
The wing would (or the snow load from the wing) take out mailbox almost every time.
I bought a 16' 6x6, and planted it at an angle parallel to the roadway (of course it was frozen in the ground over the winter).
I mounted the mailbox 2' downstream from the tip of the 6x6.
The grader operator never damaged that mailbox again.

 

[ruffdog]

Not quite on point, but for many years the six mail boxes (all lined up in a row on a single structure) at the end of our 850' driveway, and on the highway were so close to the highway that the postal delivery person had to stop half way onto the two lane highway to deposit mail. Same risk for others who came by to pick up their mail. The structure supporting the row of boxes was old and shaky and I wanted to rebuild it. I wanted to move them back as well. I never understood why they were located so close to the highway, but figured it was because there was not much room to move them back from the highway due to the hillside.

I first went to the post office and asked if I could move the row of boxes, and if so, if I could eliminate one of the very old and unused boxes. I was told I could rebuild and move the structure, but would have to leave the old box as someone owns it.

I spent a half a day taking out the hillside, and another half a day putting in new posts and rebuilding the structure and remounting all the boxes. It turned out nicely.

Well, the next day I picked up the mail and found a note from the delivery lady. She said she was constantly scared to death delivering mail there and was so happy to be able to pull up to the boxes completely off the highway and safely deposit the mail. Later I happened to be at the boxes when she arrived and she exited the car and came over to me and thanked me again, and said the structure was the nicest one on her route. A couple of the neighbors later also thanked me as they no longer had to park across the highway and walk over to the mail boxes. Not that big of a deal for me to do this, but it sure made a lot of people happy which was gratifying.

But I suppose if someone somehow had an accident exiting from the boxes and onto the highway they would look to blame someone else for their negligence, and that would be me.

Good job.....that is how things should be done!

 

[airbiscuit]

A swinging mailbox takes care of a lot of issues, and it makes it easier for YOU to plow under and around it.

 

[Pilot]

Had to replace mine several times in the first 4-5 years we lived here. Stolen, box & post once. Was usually damaged by the neighbors across the street.
Got disgusted and had a sheet metal shop bend some diamond plate, 1/8" thick to go around the box, mounted it on a 6" steel post. Planted it in gravel about 6 ft. off the pavement. I wanted to inflict body damage if the neighbor backed into it again. No damage since & it's been about 20 years.

 

[dmccarty]

This week I noticed a mail box down on the ground near a house I drive by on the way to work...

Tis an interesting house in a triangle shaped lot between what used to be rural roads. I was taking photos of Ospreys one day and a guy who had also was taking pictures of the birds started to talk to me as I walked out of the woods. We were on public land a few miles from the house and it turns out his grand dad built this house along time ago. The house is a huge two story southern house and I assume the house was built from money earned tobacco farming. At this point, all of the land around the house is in trees and subdivisions. Before the grandfather build the big house, he used a team of mules to tow their log cabin across the road. That little itty, bitty log cabin is still right off the back porch of the big house...

The family sold the house a few years ago and it is no longer in the family.

Anywho, across the road from the house is a the mail box. It can't be fun walking across that road to get the mail. I noticed the mail box on the ground and figured a truck/trailer load had hit the mailbox..

But then I noticed a pine tree branch 3-4 inches in diameter had fallen off a tree a good distance away and took out the mail box. The post is ok but the mail box got take out. What are the odds? :confused3:

Later,
Dan