mail box vs town plow....

[schmism]

the idea i like best (which as been touted as better vandal protection)

is takeing a large mail box, putting a smaller one inside, and filling the space between the 2 with concreet.

then mount on a breakaway post, mounted to a spring as mentioned, seems to be the best plan.

 

[SpringHollow]

I have seen ones in high snow areas that have the post set back from the yard and the horizontal support forms a "Tee" with respect to the vertical support and is hinged. A counter weight is on the opposite end of the horizontal causing the mailbox end to be raised into the air. There is a pull rope attached so that the mail man drives up, pulls on the rope to lower the mailbox. Wish i had a picture to show you.

Ken

 

[Diesel-ME]

I just use a standard pre-fab PT 4x4 mailbox post. But I set it a bit higher than average (the mail carrier has to reach up a bit). That keeps it above the height of the wing plow. Then all winter I push back the snow around the post - one plow width on the down street side and at least 2 on the approach side. That way my mailbox is free and clear of even newly plowed snow. The plow drivers can see it (ya lots of reflectors too) and easily avoid it.

 

[Cat_Driver]

How about this.

the post set back far enough, then another "arm" reaching to the street.

The arm is high, and the mailbox is "hung" from a chain. When the snow hits the box it just swings, but eventually ends up back where it started.

Also as the snow gets higher the chain can be adjusted to accommodate the higher snow levels.

If vandals whack it, it will also just swing, but will still have a dent unless it's the plastic model.

 

[Hookblock]

I had the same problem also. Until I got the tractor, now I just plow the snow 100' before and after the mail box into the ditch. Mailman is happy, and there is no snow put back in the drive when the plows come back and clean up.

 

[DavidVT]

Plenty of reflectors: yep, brightest thing around at night!!

Dig back the snow so it is easy to see: Yep, otherwise they will not deliver.

Put the post back a ways and keep the box fairly high: Yep 9 years it worked.

Town plow moves from 6 wheel dump to 10 wheel dump: Yep and warp nine seems to be the new rule...... Mailbox and many neighbor's boxes all lost... no direct contact just a fast moving wall of snow...

Keep the ideas coming.. thanks much!!

 

[HappyCPE]

I think I have the hot ticket.

I live on a busy road with no shoulder, so my box is literally a few inches from the lane of travel. I bought a Rubbermaid mailbox for $49.99 at Lowe's and mounted it with 6 screws to a pre-made 4x4 cedar post setup, also from Lowe's. I cut about 2-3 feet off the bottom of the post, drove some nails in the sides as anchors, then positioned the affair into a large round plastic flowerpot. The pot is then filled with 120 lbs of concrete [less than a cubic foot] and some potting soil [for the flowers]. I leveled a small spot along the road and hauled the junk-mail receptacle in the tractor bucket to the road.

I can't stop the low-bidder plow contractors from knocking over the box - pretty much every major snowstorm sees the thing knocked over. But, because it's flexible plastic, and all the weight is on the bottom, I can dig it out [or fish for it with the bucket] and tilt it up again. Also, it is substantial enough so the local drunks will damage their cars a bit when they hit it, but it isn't so rigid that I'll get slapped with a lawsuit.

Three years and it's doing great. The only downside is that I can't get flowers to live in the pot; not enough water, too close to hot asphalt, too much exhaust fumes. I may try cactus.

 

[SpringHollow]

HappyCPE's post reminds me of a common one around here - post set into an old milk can which is then filled with concrete. Not sure how many times it can be hit without destroying the mail box though.

Ken

 

[HappyCPE]

HappyCPE's post reminds me of a common one around here - post set into an old milk can which is then filled with concrete. Not sure how many times it can be hit without destroying the mail box though.

Ken

By me, people pay big bucks for milk cans - they're antiques!

 

[mapmaker]

A friends wife backed over my mailbox about 10 years ago and broke the post. ( it was a $4 cedar fencepost) and he insisted on making me a new one. The mailbox had been hit several times ( the reason I used a cheep fence post) His solution was to weld a 3" pipe to an old tire rim, at the top he welded a piece of channel that the mailbox get bolted to. Any time it gets hit I just pick it up a and put it back where it belongs. The tire rim is heavy enough so that snow coming off the states snow plow won't knock it over. It gets hit with a bat every few years and it just falls over with little damage.