Help looking for a new mail box.

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My mother was a post master(her words) so our boxes always had to be regulation height,  postmaster general approved, post that will break away ect...For our new ky address I would like some thing that is baseball bat proof, bomb proof.  It is located on a dead end with only two houses past and tight curvy road.  no liability problems on this one.The stand will probably be a 4" steel pipe set in concrete. Box made out of 1/4" or some thing heavier. horse related for the most part#1 not very durable but looks good  #2   Water jet out of 1/4 or 1/2 steel plate#3  artsy and not real strong#4 could hang something nice off the handle  and make some vines out of steel to hold the box up.#5 nicley done  I dont think that I could make one that nice#6  tough with rail ties and like the vines.  not so much with the small head tie part#7  not up my line but coolHere is a pict of the road that runs along our propertyCarlohttp://public.fotki.com/Naudi2U/
Reply:when I was a kid my dad built a custom mailbox post because of people kept hitting it in a curve, & he kept replacing it as most were hit & runs, well his answer was a steel post filled with cement & rebar burried with a couple triangulated  C channel braces from base to top & post wasburried  4 feet deep,  sitting in with aprox 3 foot surrounding cement, yes! no idea how many cars hit it, but it never failed. 1 guy said he hit it doing about 35mph, it spun his car around & totaled his car. LOL!!! post is still there to this day. I saw several people hit it trying to avoid it when they lost control going to fast in the curve. speed limit was 25mph, but people liked to go 40 or so & hear tires squealing, well my dad died in 1984 & post still stands. I know several mailboxes were knocked off. now thats a mailbox post!later,RandyMiller 140Campbell Hausfield migVictor torch outfitBlue Point torch setSmith torch with vintage Airco regulatorsVictor type A torch setHobart pipelinerLincoln Ranger 9Lincoln 225 tombstone
Reply:Do a search. There is a long thread on it.
Reply:I am not concerned about other treads about mail boxes.   I am looking for help in choosing one for us, or the liability of such a post.Carlohttp://public.fotki.com/Naudi2U/
Reply:Forum posts and mail box posts... I am not concerned about other treads about mail boxes. I am looking for help in choosing one for us, or the liability of such a post.If you had taken the helpful advice above I think you'd find this topic has been discussed to death before...I read this as you feel your too good or too lazy to read through other peoples posts, but you want them to read yours and respond to it... and I guess tell you everything is fine don't worry about it...Well I have read other posts on this site... some about mail box's ... seen a few horrific pictures posted... and varying opinions... but this is what comes to my mind when i think about it...You state it is just you and a couple neighbors on a dead end street... fine so the only people who are likely to be INJURED OR KILLED by the post you plan on sinking into the ground, when a fluke of nature happens (the weather and/or the driving habits of the poor victim,) are close friends or family (maybe you hate your neighbors??).. or maybe a high school aged pizza delivery person that doesn't know the road... ETC.I don't think I could live with the burden of knowing my proud handiwork caused anyone to lose their life, limb or loved one... or afford to fight the legal actions let alone pay compensation if awarded... sure accidents happen.. but some can be prevented or their results mitigated... You never know whats going to take you out of this world... be it an incurable disease or someones incurable stupidity... all I know is it sucks big time when that happens...So in closing, I say FU@# the liability issues... if you don't mind the idea of losing your child or mother or significant other because a squirrel decides to run across the road in front of them and the good person the are they try to avoid it, and then they slide sideways into your awesome new post.... then I think you have just answered your own question.... Maybe if you are lucky you can be in the vehicle when it happens and have the time to tell them your sorry and that will make it all better...Sorry if that wasn't the cheery, happy go lucky comments you wanted, but I have my reasons for being a bit bleak right now.. go ahead flame away, I couldn't care much less about anyone's comments on this post at the moment... Reality is, sometimes accidents happen.. sometimes life isn't fair... sometimes it downright sucks... but life goes on... for some of us.Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with years of experience.
Reply:Very well said Pandinus!   take heart, BretLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Sorry, that I came across the wrong way.  I have searched and read all the topics that I could find on this board.  I dont post much here but I do visit every day. I have read this board for over 5 years.  I should explain the road in better detail.  The road has big oak and walnut trees just off the road also most of our fence posts are within 3 feet of the edge of the road.  The mail box will set back into the mouth of the driveway and will sit further away from the road edge than the trees and fence posts.  Thank you for the liability concerns, in this case it will just keep them from running into something else.Carlohttp://public.fotki.com/Naudi2U/
Reply:All things aside...... that gun letter box is an absolute cracker !!!  I bet he doesn't get burgled too often ?
Reply:Ok heres what you do....... make your mailbox nice and strong, weld a coil spring bucket and tap it for a spring retainer or two to it so if something does hit it, it's going to give a little bit. sink the anchor in the dirt and be done with it. when a baseball bat hits it, nothing will happen. When the springs are on it, if a car hits it, it'll flop right over or snap off at the spring retainers. Then cut a covered port hole or two somewhere to let gas escape but water not in when a bomb goes off in it.problem solved.Last edited by Crawford; 08-22-2010 at 09:17 PM."...My pappy was a pistol I'm a son of a gun...""...God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy..."
Reply:Crawford good thinking! I can do the spring retainer part. Any more thoughts on design of or where to cut a covered port hole?  A 4 in hole covered by some thick rubber flap on the back.  Make the rubber the full size of back so that it looks good and bolted on the top only.  Wasps,bees, bird and water kept out and pressure relief.Carlohttp://public.fotki.com/Naudi2U/
Reply:I am still a big fan of this mailbox.  I will probably make this is my mailbox ever gets taken out.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...light=mail+box
Reply:Here's what I think the best idea is for a very durable yet "break-away-rated" mail box post. Mine recently was hit by some idiot in an SUV. So I welded up a new post out of 4" pipe then back-filled it with concrete.  It's durable with a massive foundation but will shear off if it's hit too hard. The top half is only held on with four 5/16" grade 2 bolts. My goal is to "total" the next idiots car, deploy their air bags, but not kill the occupants. This links to my photo album with a step by step build.http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...7&l=8e2a20e667In my world, there are consequences for stupid decisions. If you are driving so recklessly as to lose control on a 30MPH residential street then hit something that hard, you deserve to total your car. Sorry, tough love.Last edited by proaudio55; 02-20-2011 at 01:42 AM.
Reply:Cool design, I like the flange idea. I was thinking of building a few mailboxes my self. I priced out the plate. The cheapest and easiest way to build a mail box is to use 5x5 or 6x6 square HSS tube. Add a plate door with a simple metal weld on hinge and your good to go.
Reply:Here is a link to a mailbox that just swings out of the way. lightweight and simplehttp://www.ruralmailboxes.com/Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Originally Posted by knucklepanshovelwhen I was a kid my dad built a custom mailbox post because of people kept hitting it in a curve, & he kept replacing it as most were hit & runs, well his answer was a steel post filled with cement & rebar burried with a couple triangulated  C channel braces from base to top & post wasburried  4 feet deep,  sitting in with aprox 3 foot surrounding cement, yes! no idea how many cars hit it, but it never failed. 1 guy said he hit it doing about 35mph, it spun his car around & totaled his car. LOL!!! post is still there to this day. I saw several people hit it trying to avoid it when they lost control going to fast in the curve. speed limit was 25mph, but people liked to go 40 or so & hear tires squealing, well my dad died in 1984 & post still stands. I know several mailboxes were knocked off. now thats a mailbox post!later,Randy
Reply:http://www.usps.com/receive/mailboxstandards.htmAnd from Postal Bulletin 22258:"The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has deter-mined that wooden mailbox supports no larger than 4inches by 4 inches, or a 2-inch diameter standard steel oraluminum pipe, buried no more than 24 inches, shouldsafely break away if struck by a vehicle. According toFHWA, the mailbox must also be securely attached to itspost to prevent separation if struck. "Schedule 160 is a "standard": Just because the mail box "should" (not "must) break away doesn't mean you can't put a guard rail on your property and have the mail box protrude sufficiently over it. That's simply not part of the mail box.Nothing says mail boxes must be light, merely that they should stay attached to the post if hit.
Reply:Just install a rock garden around it. I think a dozen or so 6 to 12 ton rocks should work well..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:this reminds  of the guy that put  a board  full of nails under  the snow  by his mail box , cause kids kept taking out his mail box on purpose>Innovations are what i leave behind for History
Reply:We don't have an issue with cars hitting mailboxes out here, but every few years some kid gets bored on Friday night and decides to go mailbox-bashing.  Drive by, slow down, whack the **** out of it with a baseball bat.  Pisses everybody off.  A neighbor came up with a solution when this was happening. He got a heavy sandwich bag (a "freezer bag"). Filled it (not too full) with water containing a dark dye (food coloring) and whole bottle of skunk extract from the hunting supplies dept. at Academy. He taped it to the side of the mailbox, leaving one side open towards the road. Spray painted it flat black.The kids came up as expected. One leaned out the window and whacked it with the bat, and spppeeewwwwwww, the kid leaning out the window and a considerable area of the inside of the truck got sprayed with that stuff. I would hate to have been in that kid's shoes when Dad got in his truck the next morning.Last edited by Ruark; 06-21-2011 at 11:00 PM.
Reply:These mailboxes are nice. There are many more websites available for well designed custom made signs. If you are looking for custom made mailboxes, you can place your order online. You can get the best deal of beautifully designed mailboxes.