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Around here there are many rural mailboxes with a "shield" on the approaching side. These were mentioned by an earlier poster. Some are just a piece of plywood held up with a couple of steel fenceposts and some are very elaborate designs. The goal is not so much to stop the mailbox from being hit by the actual snowplow, as that is very rare, but rather to keep the box from being hit by flying snow thrown by the plow. The snow can hit the mailbox with enough force to cause "major" damage to the box, but the shield acts as a buffer to protect the mailbox.
The rule around here is that if the mailbox is damaged by the flying snow, the government jurisdiction is not responsible. Obviously the plow cannot slow down at every mailbox. If the snowplow itself actually damages the mailbox, the city, township, county, or state responsible must foot the cost of the repairs.
In areas of the country where there is A WHOLE LOT of snow and the roads are such that they are plowed at higher speeds there is NO WAY that any kind of mailbox will survive. Those cheap plastic units get literally LAUNCHED apart.
The fact is that the solution is to use something else to absorb the energy of the plow-thrown snow and ice. I have seen MANY FOLKS rely on this: MailBox Snow Shield Protects Your Mailbox and Mail from SnowPlows and Harsh Weather! It works VERY VERY WELL and is based on the FACT that road signs endure the plows because of the physics of TWO sturdy metal supports being a much more effective absorber of impact than any other system. The only downside is for it to be effective it has to be relatively close to the "lead side" of the mailbox and that makes it s little less attractive. Some folks use a more decorative fence type deal -- Saginaw, Bay County Road Commissions have specific guidelines when it comes to mailbox protectors | MLive.com I don't know if the fence is removable so it might be a violation...
My mailbox was out in a dozen New England winters without any significant damage from the snow plow. Instead, they'd just bury it in December and I wouldn't see it again until March. Several feet of ice and snow makes a great shield!
We had a problem with kids smashing mail boxes. Not anymore as they can't damage it.
Snow from plow doesn't phase it. If the snowplow took out the 6x6 it's mounted to, the post snaps off but the mailbox is unharmed.
Had a car lose control and took out 3 mailboxes. All 3 of us had them. Posts were smashed to hell but the mailboxes were undamaged. We put up new posts and the mailboxes still stand.
My mailbox last winter! I just use the cheapest -spike and wooden post- installation method since I have to replace every few years anyways. This box and post is somehow going into its fifth New Hampshire winter.
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