Mail Box #1 - Good - Bad - Ugly

[crash325]

It was time to put up a mail box. Where the mail is delivered to is near the hwy. Kids catch school bus and then there are the "normal" vandal's".

Wanted it fairly strong and weather resistant. This was the first Mail Box that I have ever built. Even before it was done some minor improvements were figured out, but too late to change the design. Not shown in the pictures is a expanded metal screen that goes inside, should some rain get in, it holds the mail about 3/8" off the bottom of the box.

Most of the cutting, fitting & welding went pretty well. Spent more time finding or looking for tools than actual building. Some of the tools I had just used, laid down and they went into hiding. The pivot pins were zinc coated, even with a lot of sanding & grinding, they still gassed out in places.

Pictures tell the building better than me writing about it.

Really Dumb mistakes! Most of them came when installing the box. Thinking it was going into soft dirt. Did not point the end of the pipe going into the ground. Put on some good sized wings so it would not turn and 2 pieces of re-bar so it would be hard to pull out. (Forgot to take a picture.) Box to pipe was a very tight fit, with tight holes, a few thousands under size. Another bad idea, Took my light post driver and sort of an after though took the heavy one, 60 /70#. It was not heavy enough, over an hour driving the post. All that pounding partly closed the top mounting holes and flared the pipe out. Did not take a drill, drift or file with me. Another hour pounding the flair out, driving in the mounting bolts. The box must be close to 40 /50#, holding it with one hand while driving in the bolts was a lot more "Fun" than I really wanted. So in only about 2 hours a 1/2 hour job was completed. Naturally the bolt thread were destroyed, so in a day or 3 they will get hammered out, holes reamed and new bolts installed.

Should you need advice on how "Not" to do things, just let me know. Be Glad to "Help",:drink:

 

[blueriver]

I'd like to them little vandals hit that puppy with a baseball bat!!!!

 

[Combustix]

That's not a mail box it's a bomb shelter, for your junk mail:laughing::laughing:

 

[bullbreaker]

Dang it that thing looks solid.
The only concern I'd have with that mailbox would a bird landing on it on a real HOT AZ day and burning its feet off. :thumbsup:

Boone

 

[Tractor Seabee]

It was time to put up a mail box. Where the mail is delivered to is near the hwy. Kids catch school bus and then there are the "normal" vandal's".

Wanted it fairly strong and weather resistant. This was the first Mail Box that I have ever built. Even before it was done some minor improvements were figured out, but too late to change the design. Not shown in the pictures is a expanded metal screen that goes inside, should some rain get in, it holds the mail about 3/8" off the bottom of the box.

Most of the cutting, fitting & welding went pretty well. Spent more time finding or looking for tools than actual building. Some of the tools I had just used, laid down and they went into hiding. The pivot pins were zinc coated, even with a lot of sanding & grinding, they still gassed out in places.

Pictures tell the building better than me writing about it.

Really Dumb mistakes! Most of them came when installing the box. Thinking it was going into soft dirt. Did not point the end of the pipe going into the ground. Put on some good sized wings so it would not turn and 2 pieces of re-bar so it would be hard to pull out. (Forgot to take a picture.) Box to pipe was a very tight fit, with tight holes, a few thousands under size. Another bad idea, Took my light post driver and sort of an after though took the heavy one, 60 /70#. It was not heavy enough, over an hour driving the post. All that pounding partly closed the top mounting holes and flared the pipe out. Did not take a drill, drift or file with me. Another hour pounding the flair out, driving in the mounting bolts. The box must be close to 40 /50#, holding it with one hand while driving in the bolts was a lot more "Fun" than I really wanted. So in only about 2 hours a 1/2 hour job was completed. Naturally the bolt thread were destroyed, so in a day or 3 they will get hammered out, holes reamed and new bolts installed.

Should you need advice on how "Not" to do things, just let me know. Be Glad to "Help",:drink:

I bought a mnufactured heavy duty steel mail box with locking door, USPS approved, it is also rainproof as it comes. Bolted it it on a piece of I/2" plate welded to 7' of 2" X 3" tube steel, put 4 pieces of rebar through the botton of the tube and planted it in 500# vof concrete. Dare anyone to hit it or try to steal the whole thing.

 

[Don87]

Things must be different in AZ.

Postal service up here will only put mail in 'usps approved' boxes.




Nice mailbox though:thumbsup:

 

[turnkey4099]

Dang it that thing looks solid.
The only concern I'd have with that mailbox would a bird landing on it on a real HOT AZ day and burning its feet off. :thumbsup:

Boone

We had a couple gays living in the county way back in the 70s. Could not keep a mailbox up due to vandals. Built one of iron plate. Nope, torched in pieces in a couple days.

Harry K

 

[George2615]

Things must be different in AZ.

Postal service up here will only put mail in 'usps approved' boxes.




Nice mailbox though:thumbsup:

Same here. Mailbox has to be USPS approved.

 

[Jay4200]

Same here. Mailbox has to be USPS approved.

Right. That's why I made mine a mailbox holder:

JayC

 

[brokenknee]

Things must be different in AZ.

Postal service up here will only put mail in 'usps approved' boxes.




Nice mailbox though:thumbsup:

From the usps web site. DMM 508 Recipient Services

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I bought a mnufactured heavy duty steel mail box with locking door, USPS approved, it is also rainproof as it comes. Bolted it it on a piece of I/2" plate welded to 7' of 2" X 3" tube steel, put 4 pieces of rebar through the botton of the tube and planted it in 500# vof concrete. Dare anyone to hit it or try to steal the whole thing.

Up here we are limited as to what type of posts we can use. steel t-posts are ok and wood no bigger then a 4x4 is ok. Anything larger and the DOT will send you a letter when they notice it. Their fear is if a car hits it they want the car to not sustain serious damage possibly injuring the driver or passenger so the t-post will fold under the car and the 4x4 will shear and should go forward and under.

We were giving a letter as our mail box sits on a 8" locust post. The post has been there since before 1987 when we moved here but this last summer when they resurfaced the road again the DOT finally noticed it and sent a letter telling us to change it. The DOT official we called about it told us to not worry about it since he knows that post is most likely rotted away at ground level to the point its no bigger then a 4x4 anyway since its probably 30-40 years old. But if it was steel we would have had to change it for sure

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Up here we are limited as to what type of posts we can use. steel t-posts are ok and wood no bigger then a 4x4 is ok. Anything larger and the DOT will send you a letter when they notice it. Their fear is if a car hits it they want the car to not sustain serious damage possibly injuring the driver or passenger so the t-post will fold under the car and the 4x4 will shear and should go forward and under.

We were giving a letter as our mail box sits on a 8" locust post. The post has been there since before 1987 when we moved here but this last summer when they resurfaced the road again the DOT finally noticed it and sent a letter telling us to change it. The DOT official we called about it told us to not worry about it since he knows that post is most likely rotted away at ground level to the point its no bigger then a 4x4 anyway since its probably 30-40 years old. But if it was steel we would have had to change it for sure

I am on a b usy county road; the mail box is as far from the pavement as the utility poles so I guess they need to have breakaway poles to protect drivers from their own folly also. We have more utility poles mowed down by speeding and careless drivers than mail boxes, average 6 last year on 8 miles of road. That is why I put 100 hrs on my emergency gen set last year. My neighbor across the road had a speeder leave the road and plow down 20' of his horse fence (3 posts) including the two way X braced 6 X 6 corner and brace posts (3 more). The sheriff has not found the car and driver yet. Happened in the middle of the night and no body saw it happen, they drove it away somehow.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I am on a b usy county road; the mail box is as far from the pavement as the utility poles so I guess they need to have breakaway poles to protect drivers from their own folly also. We have more utility poles mowed down by speeding and careless drivers than mail boxes, average 6 last year on 8 miles of road. That is why I put 100 hrs on my emergency gen set last year. My neighbor across the road had a speeder leave the road and plow down 20' of his horse fence (3 posts) including the two way X braced 6 X 6 corner and brace posts (3 more). The sheriff has not found the car and driver yet. Happened in the middle of the night and no body saw it happen, they drove it away somehow.

I understand what your dealing with. I live on a very busy state road (route 20). My house I am remodeling had a car go off the road, hit a huge maple in the front yard, go airborn and smash into the front of the house hitting about 9' off the ground at the highest (car hit roof first). Here its common for cars to hit mailboxes but another concern is the snow plows with their wings. If they clip the posts the state prefers the posts break before their trucks.

 

[Jim Shooz]

From a Posties point of view I wouldn't be too happy about that flap over the opening. Means the postie has to use two hands. one to grab that bolt and lift up that flap and the other to put the mail in. To do that he has to lean forward/sideways and get his head and shoulders half out the window.

Still I suppose it's better than the boxes which have the flap opening inwards. On those when you push the mail in and withdraw your hand the flap closes down and traps your fingers. the harder you pull back the harder it clamps down on your fingers.

Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I understand what your dealing with. I live on a very busy state road (route 20). My house I am remodeling had a car go off the road, hit a huge maple in the front yard, go airborn and smash into the front of the house hitting about 9' off the ground at the highest (car hit roof first). Here its common for cars to hit mailboxes but another concern is the snow plows with their wings. If they clip the posts the state prefers the posts break before their trucks.

That's why I live in God's Country: Pacific NW Puget Sound, if we get 1' snow it is a lot and everything is gridlocked. Usually rains and washes it away in a couple days. You can have your snow and snow plows, I'll take the rain.

Ron

 

[crash325]

"3.2.2 Custom-Built Mailbox

The local postmaster may approve a curbside mailbox constructed by a customer who, for aesthetic or other reasons, does not want to use an approved manufactured box. The custom-built box must generally meet the same standards as approved manufactured boxes for flag, size, strength, and quality of construction."

My mail box exceeds the requirements of most approved boxes. I though about stamping Approved on the box, but don't think it is needed.

There is no snow plows within 30 miles of here and 1 inch of snow is a big deal.

There are about 30 mail boxes at the location, many trashed beyond use. Many are shot full of holes, some with a lock have the doors bent back. A bunch of them on 1 long board have sagged almost to the ground. Mail is still delivered to the trashed boxes.

I will take a picture of the mess up there and post it for all to see.

It is not possible to service most of the boxes from a car or truck. The mail person is not an actual US Postal employee, but contracted labor. They don't even try to deliver from a vehicle.

Nothing will stop a determined vandal or thief, bank vaults get broken into. As stated at the start it is "Resistant" to them and the weather.

Plan to mail myself a letter to see if it gets delivered. :laughing:

No one has to like or approve my box or post except the mail deliver person. There is one box there that is on a 5x5" steel post.

 

[bullbreaker]

"3.2.2 Custom-Built Mailbox
There are about 30 mail boxes at the location, many trashed beyond use. Many are shot full of holes, some with a lock have the doors bent back. A bunch of them on 1 long board have sagged almost to the ground. Mail is still delivered to the trashed boxes.

I was wondering where my old neighbors moved too ,now I know !

Boone

 

[crash325]

Wish they would move back. Don't really need them here.

Referring to another of you posts. I heard that you were a "Goat Roper" at heart. Use to have a friend that had sticker in his pick up window, claiming to be a Goat Roper. :laughing:

 

[bullbreaker]

Not to get off track with cool mailbox thread but :Urban Dictionary: goat roper

Boone

 

[crash325]

Not to get off track with cool mailbox thread but :Urban Dictionary: goat roper

Boone

That link was fun. Thanks for posting it. Had never seen all that before. Maybe you are not Qualified to join the group.

Have Fun,
Jim