Anyone build a custom mailbox & or post ?

[sonnyboy]

When I was a kid, my Dad mounted an old 1-1/2hp hit and miss engine (about 150+ lbs) on a hefty steel post, with a "postmaster general approved" mailbox mounted on top of it. Looked really nice, even got a written compliment from their rural mail carrier for it. Then a couple of weeks later, Dad got a nastygram from the D.O.T. "asking" him to remove it and replace it with a more conventional design (they even included drawings of what they wanted). Dad was pissed, and basically told them that if they don't like it, that they can replace it themselves.

A few weeks later the old hit-and-miss was lying in the ditch, and a boring new post with a box was in its place when he came home from work.

[JimVonBaden]

Jim

[c39er]

Here's my MB made out of an old 1948 Chrysler rear end and heavy shaker screen with a thick steel horseshoe around the front-Brazed address #'s on it too.

[Hephaestus29]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Jim

How the hell did the car get on top of the mailbox ?

[Hephaestus29]

Originally Posted by c39er

Here's my MB made out of an old 1948 Chrysler rear end and heavy shaker screen with a thick steel horseshoe around the front-Brazed address #'s on it too.

I like it and you used mopar thats a +.

[Hephaestus29]

Originally Posted by SwampCat

Back in the day, Dad worked for the railroad. As a kid I remember helping dig the post hole, 4 feet deep by 2 foot diameter ( Dad was into OVERKILL ) rebarred into this was a 8 foot section of rail, then filled with concrete. Home made in the OLD mixer. Wrapped the rail in 1x6 to make it look like wood post. Stayed there till 1975, when some local hoodlums stole a 74 firebird from the car lot and went out mowing down mailboxes. This was to be the last one. In the middle of the night, heard a loud crash, got up and looked, there sat a totaled firebird with the front end off the ground, it climbed the post to about the firewall. Guess we shoulda used more concrete because the force dislodged the base and tipped it a little Police came,wrecker came, hauled the leftovers away. Next day Dad fired up the tractor, old Ford 8N if I remember, shoved it back into place, had us kids tamp some gravel back around the thing, good as new. Boy I miss those days

what happened to the kids ? did they run off ?

[Norcal]

I built mine w/ 6X6 square tubing set 3 feet in the ground & filled w/ concrete, a few weeks ago someone backed into it moving it a inch at the footing, sure would like to see the vehicle that did it.





These are camera phone pictures that really don't show all the damage.

[Hephaestus29]

I've read & seen some pretty good Ideas, but I was thinking about a couple of 5x5 or 6x6 pieces of steel post with a cars coil spring inbetween and connecting the two, one in the ground, the spring at the base, and the other piece of steel above it. If someone backs into it it should bounce back up unless they hit going 30 mph or something. I live on a side street so I wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal about the DOT or a mail carrier complaining about it. The problem currently is my idiot neghbors kid that turns around in my driveway. My driveway is 15 feet wide almost twice as wide as a normal driveway & he can't back in without hitting my mailbox.

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by Hephaestus29

How the hell did the car get on top of the mailbox ?

Woman driver!

Jim

[KEH]

Re coil springs, I made a post using 2 coil springs from a 55 Ford. When I first put it in the ground, the post bent over. I had to weld 2 pieces of rebar inside to stiffen the post.

Once someone wrecked there(not intentional, just excessive speed and poor driving) and went over the post, shearing it off and flrttening the box. I welded more steel and rebar on the bottom and put a new box on top. Good as new.

KEH

[SwampCat]

Originally Posted by Hephaestus29

what happened to the kids ? did they run off ?

Yep, like thieves in the night. Looked pretty much like your picture, only the front of the car was higher

[mpire]

I remember back 20 years ago my father got pissed at all the people hitting our mailbox and so he hired a mason to build a huge box out of bricks.

It looked great, however the neighbor's kids promptly backed into it and it fell on its face on the street. Box never opened right after that. Stood it back up, been hit many times since then. Standard box that sticks out about an inch from the concrete/bricks.

I think I will build pillars for each side of my driveway out of concrete on the next house.

I can't keep people out of my yard no matter what I do. Its never drunks, its always soccer moms in tanks that do the most damage.

[jhelrey]

My neighbor put a footing that is 3 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep for his brick mailbox. It's never moved!

[buildmyown]

We used to have a real problem with kids playing mail box baseball. Our mail box was mounted to the side of a huge old oak. Dad finally had enough so he moved it to the other side of tree the the driver would have to go on the wrong side of the road to have someone in the back seat could hit. Once he moved it never a problem a again. Tropical storm Irene snaped that tree in half. Once they finished taking down what was left of the tree I took a 3 foot piece of 1.5" black pipe and threaded a flange on both ends and tack weled them on screwed one to the bottom of the new box and lag bolted the other into the stump of the old tree. Came home from work the other day and noticed the box was about a foot shorter then it was that morning. The town came through and ground all the stumps along the road from the storm. At least they bolted it back to the stump. Well see how long it last now since it has no protection.

[jamesincarl]

Mine is a 5'' Rock Drill bit on top of a piece of 2 5/7" tubing and it is quite easy and very useful to me.

[nissan_crawler]

My garbage can has to sit right next to my mailbox.

Garbage man rips $200 mailbox off post...get a few years free garbage pickup.

Replace mailbox...

Garbage man rips $200 mailbox off, with the post support...get a few years free garbage pickup.

Straighten second mailbox, fix post.

Kids knock mailbox off post.

Ratchet strap box to post to get by until the weekend...

Kids come back that night and drive over the post.



Game on.

one 9' 4"x4"x3/8" wall square tube, 180 pounds of steel, 600 pounds of concrete...





Garbage truck hit the mailbox...that dangling arm looked expensive.

I had just pulled in the driveway at night, chick was yacking on her cell phone, flew down the dead end street, tried flipping a u-turn at 20 mph, slid off the street, into my driveway, nailed the post. Car totaled. By the time I woke up, it was gone, must had a roll back show up.

I was in the garage one night, heard an engine rev, heard a little *tink*, followed by @#()*U&%*#y)(@#y&@!!!!!!! I didn't think much of it, until I went to get mail the next day, and there was a dented bat next to the box. I bet that stung.

[kesslerbmw]

Thats a sweet set up ^


Here's one I did quite some time ago when our kept getting hit or smashed. I didn't ever take any pictures after I installed it, but a few different people backed into etc and it tore up their vehicles.

[alan camby]

[crazytrain]

I like this one, I think it makes a pretty good statement.





Click link for more info.

http://www.swingsafesupports.com/County.html



CLick link for more info.

http://www.returntocentermailbox.com/

[thightower]

When Dad installed his, he used 2 cams out of a big cam 400 cummins. We welded the cams to a piece of channel iron to mount the box to. Then we set a 20" steel truck wheel, filled with concrete and set the cams in the concrete.