Mailbox

[wenger7446]

Hello Everyone, I need to install a new mailbox and post. We live in a craftsman-ish house in SE PA. My wife wants to paint the box the same color as the front door. I am looking for box and post that is durable and will last a while. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[jharkin]

I'm replacing my box now too. Looked at the home center stuff its junk. So we spent the coin and got a cedar post and steel box from Walpole woodworkers. Not cheap but phenomenal quality.

There seems to be either dirt cheap or expensive but not much in between.


EDIT: This one (in Cedar for $135)
http://www.walpolewoodworkers.com/mail-lantern-posts/mailbox-posts/liberty-mail-post.aspx

 

[billb3]

I used a one inch galvanized water pipe and floor flange.

I had old galvanized water pipe lying around.
A lot of it has been cut up for survey markers.

 

[nate379]

Brake drum from a class 8 truck, pipe welded to it and the box set on top of that. Will last for a long time.

 

[granpajohn]

-Wants to have a nice box painted to match house.
-Gets recommendation for brake drum welded to pipe.

You boys are not singing off the same sheet of music.
(Sorry, I'm trying to be funny...but still.)

 

[billb3]

-Wants to have a nice box painted to match house.
-Gets recommendation for brake drum welded to pipe.

You boys are not singing off the same sheet of music.
(Sorry, I'm trying to be funny...but still.)

He asked for suggestions for a durable post.
One advantage to a base rather than a pole sunk in the ground is a snow plow wall of snow will knock it over ( or even a drunk mailman if you;ve ever had one of those) and you can stand it right back up.
Replacing a sunk in the ground post in February can be a PITA.

 

[Thistle]

Dont know about the mailbox,but you could do what I did for a post at parents acreage in mid '90's -

Mill a 6 x 6 x 8ft post from the heart of 14" White Oak that had top broken out in storm several months earlier.1" rough sawn White Oak set in dados cut in post to make the 'arm' that large metal mailbox is anchored to.Basically a 'hollow' cross beam in appearance.

Wasnt much fun using post hole diggers going down through 3 ft of hard packed gravel & clay at foot of driveway next to road,but got it done.If I was to do anything like that today,I'd rent a gas powered auger or politely ask a neighboring farmer to bring his tractor with the PTO auger on it & hand him a $20 for 10 minutes work.

That 6 x 6 will be there long after I'm gone,thats the idea lol.No county road grader or snow plow would hurt it,unless they hit it direct at 50MPH......

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For many, many moons we have used an old milk can. For the post from can to box, we used a 4 x 4. It does not get moved....

On the other hand, when I was a young lad we had a neighbor who had a mail box but it had to be on the corner rather than in front of his house. He got tired of people hitting it and then he had to take the time to fix it. So he took a really large post that he intended for a fence corner post and set that in about 12" of concrete. Funny, that post never got moved although it did get hit one time.

Many mailboxes can be painted and/or use some contact paper to cover them and they can look really nice. Use your imagination.

 

[wenger7446]

Perfect. I knew could count on you guys for a good suggestion. The Walpole Woodworkers site is just what i was looking for. Thanks!

 

[firefighterjake]

I started out with a fancy pressure treated 4 x 4 post mailbox that looked really nice . . . and replaced that a few months later after the snow plow took it down.

Second time the snow plow took it out I rigged the mailbox up so it would work . . . but didn't look so nice as it was kind of held together with scrap wood and wire.

Last time the drunk driver came careening through my ditch and took out my mailbox I put in a simple 4 x 4 pressure treated post with the mailbox on top . . . only to have someone come along and actually rip the whole kit and kaboodle off the post -- not just bash it in as it has been bashed before, but actually stole my entire mailbox (sans post) along with my Amish neighbor's mailbox. Savages I tell ya!

I think if this happens again I'll be building a reinforced concrete mailbox . . .

 

[Dune]

I used a large anchor for a mailbox post. It sits with the crown on the ground, the mailbox is mounted on the stock. I welded a round bar to the crown, then set a section of pvc pipe in concrete. If vandals strike, the post spins in the pipe. Also, on rare occasions I have pulled the entire unit out of the ground to make room for a large truck or whatever. Because of the size of the anchor, the stock is long enough to keep the post well out of the way of plows. It has been in service the 18 years I have been in this house. Factiod, This anchor was left in Hyannis by the vessal which inspired the movie "The Perfect Storm."

 

[begreen]

We get occasional mailbox vandalism on weekend. Kids get bored or drunk and go out bashing and driving down mailboxes and sign posts. I got tired of this and beefed things up a lot. The mailbox is very heavy gauge and reinforced, sitting on an 8x8, creosote soaked rail tie with some tall rocks (high enough to damage an oil pan) around the base. In the past 5 yrs we've only had one attack. They wailed on it and only broke the red flag. Hasn't been touched since.

 

[nate379]

Be careful with making "brick chit house" posts/mailboxes. In some places the owner can be held liable.

My idea works fine, looks fine and is nearly free.

 

[jharkin]

Wenger-

If you do go with them, this is how my Walpole setup came out for reference. I This was the cheapest model, they have fancier options. The lettering is not from them, my neighbor runs a sign shop and cut some custom vinyl for me in a rustic colonial font (blurred out the number as I don't feel like advertising my address online )

The post comes pre-stained in SW white & Install was easy. I Just dug out the hole from the existing post, lined it with landscape fabric, and set the base in a foot of gravel (3in under) for drainage before buying it. under 1hr.

(broken image removed)


Looking at the what everyone else does - I think I must just be phenomenally lucky as we almost never see vandalism around here. Never thought about it.

 

[lukem]

I've got an old corn auger set in about 24" diameter by 36" deep concrete for a post. Doesn't get much stouter than than. The old man that put it in meant business...If i even want it out of there I'm going to need one heck of a big hoe.

 

[semipro]

Hmm. All this has got me thinking I'll install my mailbox on a break-away post of some sort that is easily replaced if knocked down. This is how a lot of street signs are done.
This would minimize liability while ensuring your ability to easily get your mailbox back up again.
Looks like someone already sells something like this. (broken link removed to http://www.kceind.com/mailbox_post.htm)

 

[begreen]

Be careful with making "brick chit house" posts/mailboxes. In some places the owner can be held liable.

My idea works fine, looks fine and is nearly free.

LOL, a few years back some kids were out drinking and joyriding. They were smashing mailboxes with a baseball bat from the passing car and doing pretty well until they tried smashing a local welder's box. The bat bounced off the box and gave the kid a broken arm. Banged up the car too. The parents took the welder to court.They lasted about 5 minutes with the judge telling them the punishment was well deserved and that the kid should be booked for vandalism and destruction of Federal property. Ordered the parents to pay for all the mailboxes that were reported smashed that day if they wanted the kid to be let off.

 

[wenger7446]

Wenger-

If you do go with them, this is how my Walpole setup came out for reference. I This was the cheapest model, they have fancier options. The lettering is not from them, my neighbor runs a sign shop and cut some custom vinyl for me in a rustic colonial font (blurred out the number as I don't feel like advertising my address online )

The post comes pre-stained in SW white & Install was easy. I Just dug out the hole from the existing post, lined it with landscape fabric, and set the base in a foot of gravel (3in under) for drainage before buying it. under 1hr.


Looking at the what everyone else does - I think I must just be phenomenally lucky as we almost never see vandalism around here. Never thought about it.

jharkin, that was the model I was looking at. I will post mine when it comes in. Thanks for the feed back everyone!

 

[nate379]

No vandalism where I live, but I had to get a locking mailbox after my mail was stolen several times. Suspect it was kids walking home from school since the bus drops them off at the highway and they walk the 1/2 mile or so to their houses.

 

[Thistle]

6 x 6 White Oak,if I remember postal regs stated bottom of mailbox had to be no more than 39 inches above the ground.

 

[ColdNH]

Not sure if their available down there, but we put in one of those granite posts with a standard issue black mailbox this past year. I think it looks great, wasnt cheap, but should last forever as long as it doesnt get taken out by a very large vehicle, and if it does, it will cause equal damage to the vehicle!

 

[begreen]

That's a handsome post.