How to catch a vandal??

[Ford850]

Most of the vandals hit on Friday and Saturday nights when its not a school night. If that's the case there, focus your efforts on those nights for cameras, or removing the box.

 

[dougtrr2]

Might check with the post office and see if they will put up one on their lock box stations. I have one that happens to be on my property that serves 8 close by homeowners. For me there is no downside, it is on the way to my house. The upside is the individual boxes are locked so you don't have to worry about theft and there is also two locked parcel lockers. Any damage/maintenance is the responsibility of the Post Office.

I will say I also like the idea of the paint can in the box.

Doug in SW IA

 

[polo1665]

Haven't read every reply, but around here people put up barriers to protect their mailboxes from damage during winter snow removal. Seems like that would protect it from baseball bats as well.

 

[plowhog]

The upside is the individual boxes are locked so you don't have to worry about theft and there is also two locked parcel lockers. Any damage/maintenance is the responsibility of the Post Office.

That solution can re-arrange the problems to be had. I have one of these, and it was crowbarred open last year. I had to put a stop on my mail delivery, then go stand in line at the post office to retrieve it. It was supposed to be fixed within 3 days. Three months later my mail was still "on hold" and I was still fighting with the post office to get it fixed. I had to go stand in line to complain, which I periodically did. On each visit the manager had: "just stepped out," "was sick today," "was on break," or "couldn't be found." Finally I got the name of a supervisor, and told her I would be writing a letter to my congressman complaining of the post office and naming her as my contact. It was fixed very quickly after that.

 

[aczlan]

Haven't read every reply, but around here people put up barriers to protect their mailboxes from damage during winter snow removal. Seems like that would protect it from baseball bats as well.
View attachment 532987

I saw those when we were out visiting in the Meritor/Kirtland area this spring.

Ok, got it. Thanks for the follow-up. Unfortunately the challenges I mentioned-- logistical & mechanical-- don't lend themselves to this type of system-- although I can see it does have merit. I'm often on the road typically with a hard to predict schedule which might find me away for days at a time. Plus it's kind of an unusual position for the box given a deep ditch that was created during recent flooding which led me to install an anchor post on the far side of the ditch with a board & box spanning across it.
I will however pass along your suggestion to the neighbors as well as mention it to the local Post Office. Thanks again for the input!

I would use something like this:

Then it can span your ditch and automatically swing back when it gets hit.

Aaron Z

 

[Gem99ultra]

Is it possible to mount your game camera some distance upstream from the mail box?

 

[jymbee]

I would use something like this:
View attachment 533006
Then it can span your ditch and automatically swing back when it gets hit.

Aaron Z

That's almost exactly what we have now and what I tried to describe in previous posts. Apparently not all that well.
The main post is a 6x6 PT and the arm coming out is a 2x6 PT board with the box attached. While that is great system to prevent the whole post & box from tearing out when hit by the snow plow for example, it doesn't work all that well for the box itself with these vandals:

 

[jymbee]

Is it possible to mount your game camera some distance upstream from the mail box?

I'm going to try just that with some tests to see how it might work. Of course the challenge now becomes how to hide the camera so that doesn't get stolen! There's a lot trees/brush near the road so that offers more possibilities. Also being so rural there's not that much traffic in general. During hunting season however there's lots of "road warriors" driving around slowly looking for deer and I wouldn't dare risk it then.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The only problem is that you or the letter carrier would have to get out of the vehicle if the box is not in the correct position.

Canada post hired a bunch of stupid safety people to go around and inspect mailboxes. They made me move mine farther down the road, away from my entrance, as we have a hill in the road and the entrance is hidden.

Now I have to clear snow in yet another place. I wonder about the liability issues of working on the roadway?

They dictated, how far off the road, how high and how to be identified. I stencilled "Salleem Habib Kahlsa" on the Box. They were not amused!

 

[JRobyn]

Haven't read every reply, but around here people put up barriers to protect their mailboxes from damage during winter snow removal. Seems like that would protect it from baseball bats as well.


View attachment 532987

It's a PALLET!!