Revenge of the mailbox

[jmc]

My mailbox was vandalized yet again last night and I'm thinking about making its replacement "special". I'm PO'd enough that I don't mind throwing some money at this. The important thing is that the vandal doesn't get physically hurt, which makes it more difficult and less fun.

Concept one is a wirelessly connected impact sensor in the box and a wirelessly controlled, hidden video camera. I don't know how to do this but maybe the video is always recording and always recording over the previous images until the impact sensor shuts the looping down after a short, post-impact time interval. After dark might be a problem.

Low tech concept uses maybe some kind impact sensor that triggers the release of a box mounted, indelible dye reservoir into vandal's mid section, or better, Daddy's car.

Any comments or other ideas welcome.

 

[zzvyb6]

First Option: Put a gallon of green paint in the back of the box with the lid loose. If its a Louisville Slugger attack, you should have no trouble searching the high school parking lot for a partialy green vehicle.

Second Option: Deer Camera. Set it up to record the act and a licence plate. Practise with your own vehicle for placement.

3rd Option: Set up a dash camera to look at the mailbox. It will keep re-writing video. Power with a hig capacity 12v battery.

Then go for retaliation at the perps own house.

 

[jmc]

I like it!

 

[r porter]

not near as much fun but i drove a T post on each side of the mailbox and bolted a cross bar over the top of the mail box with u bolts. that was ten years ago and the mail box has not been hit since.

still i would like to see your video of green paint. grin

 

[bcp]

Buy or paint a black mailbox. Put a layer of gooey, sticky, black grease on the side starting about an inch back from the door. It will end up all over the bat, the boy, and the inside of the car.

Is there a silver grease for silver boxes? All I can think of is silver anti-seize.

Bruce

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I'm thinking vehicle air bag in paint bag.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Or an air cannon filled with paint. And camera of course.

 

[lennyzx11]

 

[DT86]

I've got one with concrete as shown above, except my inner part is pvc pipe instead of a smaller mailbox.

 

[TractorGuy]

Years ago some punks kept running over my mom's mailbox. After the second one got hit in a short period I bought a piece of schedule 80 2" steel pipe and a floor flange to screw on top. Mounted the box on top of that with the pipe about 3' in the ground. Didn't take long before they ran over it again. Pipe was bent about 30 degrees and you could see where the vehicle left the ground and landed about 10 feet away. No telling how much damage it did to the car. Tracks looked like at least one wheel was running on the rim as they got away.

Little B@sterds came back and hit it with a bat or pipe the next time but then they quit.

I asked a guy at Lowes if they still sold the cast iron mailboxes and he said some punk broke his arm hitting one with a bat and his parents sued and won so they quit carrying them.

 

[Oldpath05]

I'd blame it on the movie (Stand by Me) I can see the thrill of swinging a bat at something besides a baseball, but only if it's no good or don't work, like a car that wont run.

 

[MarkF48]

Game camera that catches the license plate and the perps will be sorry....

Mailbox vandalism increases during the summer months, and we need to encourage everyone to be aware of any misconduct that may occur in their neighborhoods? said Milwaukee Postmaster Kim Quayle. Mailboxes are protected by federal law, and crimes against them and the mail they contain are considered a federal offense. Violators can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism."
MAILBOX VANDALISM ISN’T A JOKE

 

[Howling]

Years ago saw a guy buy pair of cheap large mailboxes to mount either side of his 'real' mailbox. The kids beat the snot out the side boxes, but the actual mail box survived.

Early on here had kids hit our mailbox. Got the heavy duty box from HD. It has survived being hit by drunk driver that bent the post to 45.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have seen rural mailboxes hereabouts mounted inside a length of what looks to be about 8" oilfield pipe. It seems to do the trick. We haven't had a problem here for years; although the last mailbox I put up is made from a flexible plastic...hopefully it will survive such an attack. Now in the old days, when everyone carried their .22 rifle in their car/truck, mailboxes tended to exhibit bullet holes from time to time...and you would be surprised what a hole a .38 Special will make!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Years ago some punks kept running over my mom's mailbox. After the second one got hit in a short period I bought a piece of schedule 80 2" steel pipe and a floor flange to screw on top. Mounted the box on top of that with the pipe about 3' in the ground. Didn't take long before they ran over it again. Pipe was bent about 30 degrees and you could see where the vehicle left the ground and landed about 10 feet away. No telling how much damage it did to the car. Tracks looked like at least one wheel was running on the rim as they got away.

Little B@sterds came back and hit it with a bat or pipe the next time but then they quit.

I asked a guy at Lowes if they still sold the cast iron mailboxes and he said some punk broke his arm hitting one with a bat and his parents sued and won so they quit carrying them.

I have often wondered how it would work to make an "X" with a couple pieces of angle iron, sharpened on the ends, bury them flat in the ground and mount the box on top of them.

 

[KenB2920]

My Father in law sank an I-beam in the ground after his was smashed a few times. Not just by kids but snow plow trucks as well. I think this was done after frustration and anger. Which he won't admit. Sat that way for 20 years without issue ... Not sure what made him come to his senses but it's since been removed for the last 15 years. Thinking back how bad it would be to see a car if struck it etc. aside from liability and injury, I would of loved to see the outcome.



Some good ideas on here.

I really like the cement filled with secondary mailbox inside. That's hilariously awesome!!!

Paint inside is also a great one!!

Grease? Amazing!!! Kids laugh they smash your biz and then hit several more before they realize they have grease all over them self and the interior of the car!!!! Priceless !!!


This has really made me laugh


Mine is made of brick. However I live as the only house on a court. I'm not to worried about a passerby hitting it causing injury or smashing it.

I would recommend a brick one as well but I know in cities closest to me they are illegal.

 

[two_bit_score]

We had some mailbox bashing a few times a couple years ago. Wife had planted some boxwood hedges around the mailbox and we just let them grow up so they surround the mailbox on both sides and the back.

We keep them trimmed just a little higher than the top of the mailbox. These hedges are about two feet thick so it provides a good cushion against any side blows to the mail box.

They could still get a hit in on it from the top but it would be more difficult than just driving by and side swiping it with a bat.

If a car was to hit it accidentally it wouldn't hurt anyone and the vandalism has stopped on ours while a few others in the neighborhood have had some from time to time.

It could also be that the vandals targeting us grew up and got out of the thug life like a lot of kids do, eventually.

TBS

 

[teejk]

You have to be careful. The USPS has very strict rules about rural mailboxes that I guess are meant to make their job easier and protect those that might inadvertently strike your box. The trail camera is a good idea but they tend to chew batteries. If you go that route (or even if you don't) I'd also post a sign telling whoever to "smile for the camera". I see that sign outside a few businesses around here...makes me smile!

 

[MarkF48]

A few years back I was having problems like this so I placed a 1 1/4" steel pipe painted flat black sunk in the ground a couple of feet about 1 foot from the box on the side that would get hit. At night the black pipe wasn't very visible, so it took the brunt of hits rather than the the box.

 

[JRobyn]

If you have a concrete curb by your mailbox, it might work to do what I once did to keep kids from doing burnouts in my grass along the edge of the road; use a hammer-drill to drill 5/8" holes about 4" deep in the concrete every 8'. Just a few inches from the inside edge of the curb. Cut 10" long pieces of 1/2" rebar and drop in each hole. Cut 8" long pieces of "decorative" 4x4s (bevel off the tops at a pretty 45deg angle), drill 5/8" holes up from the bottom at least 6" and drop the 4x4s over each piece of rebar.

The little decorative posts alone will discourage running up in the grass or even cutting up close by the mailbox, since the fun-seeking hooligan driver canot be sure just how solid they may be. If one DOES decide that they would be fun to run over, the 4x4 will easily shred off leaving the rebar to shred tires.

IMHO, you'd be somewhat insulated against liability concerns with this design because 1) they are just "decorative" - the rebar is just there to hold them in place, and not for any sinister destructive purpose, and 2) there's little likelihood of any serious bodily harm. even in the worst case.