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I recall a thread on here a few years ago where a person in Ohio (I think) got tired of having his mailbox destroyed by vandals and cars that run off the road. So he constructed some extra strong post and box to better withstand the damage.
Unfortunately, shortly after he installed the super strong mail post, someone slid their automobile into it (on an icy road) and became paralyzed due to hitting such a rigid object.
I don't recall the exact penalty that the property owner paid, but it was severe and may have even involved some jail time. You might want to reconsider your idea.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chas863
I recall a thread on here a few years ago where a person in Ohio (I think) got tired of having his mailbox destroyed by vandals and cars that run off the road. So he constructed some extra strong post and box to better withstand the damage.
Unfortunately, shortly after he installed the super strong mail post, someone slid their automobile into it (on an icy road) and became paralyzed due to hitting such a rigid object.
I don't recall the exact penalty that the property owner paid, but it was severe and may have even involved some jail time. You might want to reconsider your idea.
This is what I was going to say.
What about making a decorative square box about 2' square. Fill that with concrete, put a metal pipe just sticking outof the concrete, then put your mailbox post inside that. This way when someone hits it you only need replace the post and maybe the box. You could paint it and put some fake flowers or something in the concrete.
Or get a chipping hammer and drill like a 1" hole down into the rock and stick a pipe in it.
Because we're all sitting on rock, we and most of our neighbors have rock mailboxes -- stacked and cemented stone with the mailboxes inside the stone. The mail box flag is attached to the stone, so the carrier can see when it's up.
Being on a dead end road, we don't get the teen drive by smashings and it's very rare for a drunk or texter to even be on this road (or at least they seem to be paying attention). In fact, the only mailbox knocked over to date was ours in 2015, when a guy pulled into our driveway and tried to turn around with a long bed trailer. He backed it straight into the mailbox and left stone rubble all over the place. His employer paid to have it professionally rebuilt. We used the broken stone to shore up the driveway sides over the culvert.
I recall a thread on here a few years ago where a person in Ohio (I think) got tired of having his mailbox destroyed by vandals and cars that run off the road. So he constructed some extra strong post and box to better withstand the damage.
Unfortunately, shortly after he installed the super strong mail post, someone slid their automobile into it (on an icy road) and became paralyzed due to hitting such a rigid object.
I don't recall the exact penalty that the property owner paid, but it was severe and may have even involved some jail time. You might want to reconsider your idea.
No, the Ohio Supreme Court found the owner of the mailbox not liable:
I've seen "caged" rock used several places, it might work for a mailbox, too.
It's basically wire mesh--hogwire fencing or something heavier--shaped into a box and filled with rocks.
I've seen it used as retaining walls, berms for flood control, fence rail supports, and one was in front of a pawn shop to prevent thieves from driving through the front window.
I think it would take a pretty big hit and still be OK, since the loose rocks would absorb a lot of impact.
A classmate of my brother was out one night, drunk, with some of his buddies. He was laying in the back seat with his feet out the window. Driver drove too far over on the shoulder, both feet hit a mail box, breaking both of them. Doctor said if the driver had been going maybe 10 MPH faster, the classmate could have lost one, if not both, feet.
I found this on the regs for rural mailboxes. I like the two videos of good and bad examples of mailboxes. This mentions snow plows. When we plowed and someone claimed we knocked their mailbox down the state highway department would replace the post, and box if it was damaged. We replaced it with a 4x4 post, which is safer if hit. There were some we replaced that looked like the reason the post failed was all the termites in it quit holding hands. lol
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I build a "swing-away" arched pole from fenceline to roadway, and mount a horizontal swinging chunk of 16" ADS (culvert), long enough to mount a metal locking mailbox inside.
Indestructible, weatherproof, cheap, fast, no maintenance required.
Works for snow plows, baseball bats, beer bottles, and errant drivers.
This is more like it... https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...nNuiNlYY5Xcg&s
A snowy area nearby has a lot of interesting mailbox designs, some look like small construction cranes. I was hoping to convert a steam shovel to a swinging mailbox, but I'm in a federal protected natural scenic area that does not allow items which are not subordinate to surrounding natural landscape. (Including homes).
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 07-17-2022 at 11:50 AM..
Thanks for the update. I wasn't aware of the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling. Perhaps it's worthwhile noting that while this is the current law for the state of Ohio, other states may interpret their law differently.
Clearly it's a controversial subject since the Ohio Supreme Court was split on the ruling. I think that if I were contemplating installing a roadside mailbox, I would rather face the aggravating possibility of having to replace the mailbox and/or post from time to time rather than risk severely injuring someone and perhaps also jeopardize my financial future.
Used a 20 gal galvanized can. Put the old used concrete in it, two mini RR ties, the old box's support shafts, and a 60 lb bag of concrete that never lived because it took in moisture and is now a big brick! Bungie cord the sticks together to the box's shafts, poured in 150 lbs of sand.
It's stable, for now.
The previously shown post and metal box, well, if I do it, it needs to be trimmed by about 10 inches and I need to figure out a way to get that mail box on it for it does not fit flush.
If this approach doesn't work, those may be my next try........or maybe just contract it out to have the post dug in the ground.
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Here is another idea...use a half-whiskey barrel, and soil instead of sand. With the post in the center, you can plant some colorful annuals like Petunias, Impatiens, or Coleus in the soil around the post.
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