Well I made a mailbox last year to survive our Maine snow plows, and the occasional baseball bat from the local kids.

Some guy yesterday decided to turn around in my driveway and backed right into it. Busting the tail light and from the sound I heard doing some damage to the tailgate of his pickup. I saw him driving away as I came out of the barn after hearing a major crash.

Some of you may remember it





This is what it looks like now after the city plows repeatedly running into it. Only damage I can find is the small bend in the front edge at 4 O’clock



I saw the plow drive by one storm and he hit it so hard that the mailbox was swung all the way over the top of the steel pipe the box is chained to.

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Plows have spring loaded blades on them. What you need to do is put a concrete filled 6 inch steel pole about 4.5 feet from the box sticking up about 4 to 6 inches.

It will cause the plow blade to tilt forward at the top and "duck" under the mailbox.

Thats a pretty strong mailbox if it is still standing after all that. My neighbors mailbox got destroyed last year after a sleeping driver slammed through it and hit their tree. They only had a wooden stand and plastic mailbox. The mailbox I hit was only a piece of wood with a plastic mailbox screwed on to it, that was in a million pieces. I wouldn't want to hit your mailbox might destroy my car.

Oh don’t get me wrong I think it was funny when I saw that 80+ lb mailbox swing all the way over. Until I had to go out and swing it back over. That frigen thing is heavy.

I even tried to catch it on video, but have not been successful, as yet.


But the guy who backed into it I do feel just a tad sorry for, not a lot.

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: Oh don’t get me wrong I think it was funny when I saw that 80+ lb mailbox swing all the way over. Until I had to go out and swing it back over. That frigen thing is heavy. I even tried to catch it on video, but have not been successful, as yet. But the guy who backed into it I do feel just a tad sorry for, not a lot.

80!!

Jesus
I hope you arent held liable if someone hydroplanes off the road and gets decapitated.

LOL That is sweet.

I Plow snow for a town; and our blade should fit under the mail box, unless some one has the box sitting to low. But what usually brakes the mailboxes is the snow roll coming off the plow.

The favorite mail box setups that I have seen is the double I beam post and an auger bit post.( the joke on that one is we use an auger to dig the whole to put new post in when we fix them so the guy said that he has the auger ready for us).

I used to have the same problem. Now I have a concrete lintel reinforced with rebar for a post. Its concreted into the ground I forget how many feet.
Now when they hit it there is guaranteed damage to their vehicle since only one came to my door to confess. The others limped away.

When I hear a crash I run to the window grinning like a schoolboy holding an all "A" report card behind his back.

I feel your pain..........

Wasn't there a news story about a year ago about a mailbox so strong that it took a stick of dynamite to finally destroy it?

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[shockwave]


1988 Fiero Formula

Car Show Every Friday - Nostalgia McDonald's - Gurnee, Illinois (NO SHOWS 'TIL SPRING)

"Maine iron mailbox rules, all the rest are just toys."

quote Originally posted by richfiero: LOL That is sweet. I Plow snow for a town; and our blade should fit under the mail box, unless some one has the box sitting to low. But what usually brakes the mailboxes is the snow roll coming off the plow. The favorite mail box setups that I have seen is the double I beam post and an auger bit post.( the joke on that one is we use an auger to dig the whole to put new post in when we fix them so the guy said that he has the auger ready for us).

Lets just put it this way, some plow truck drivers up here are not very good at it. Most of them are very lazy and think the world owes them. The guy that plowed my road kept hitting my mailbox, so I waited for him one day and watched him hit it then I stopped him and asked him if he was crazy, I told him if he hit my mailbox again he was going to be out of a job since I am friends with the town selectmen. My mailbox is off the road an extra 3 feet to prevent this from happening, so you would have to try to hit my mailbox or be loosing control of their vehicle. Since I last stopped him he hasn't hit it or came close to hitting it. 84fiero123's mailbox is massive and if the plow truck is hitting it, then they are not paying any attention and don't care. I am not saying all plow truck drivers are like this just most of the ones in my area are.

I have a police scanner set with the DPW channels and have heard the plow drivers talking back and forth.

It’s like bowling they keep score and everything.

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

There used to be a student in Auburn who had a beat up fifties Ford pickup painted like a P40 flying tiger. Teeth, eye, OD ca-mo, vintage insignia with red center.
Stenciled on the doors were black silhouettes of his kills. Dogs, cats, mailboxes, fire hydrants, stop signs, possums deer and a telephone pole. It was good for a chuckle every time I saw it.

Having a strong, hit resistant mailboxscan be fun for the owner. I had problems at one house with repeated damage and built a concrete pad with rebar, formed a 3' x 3' (rough measurement)mailbox with concrete blocks (tied into the slab rebar), filled the blocks with concrete, and then added an exterior brick wall. I believe that the entire structure must weigh more than 600 pounds and it has resisted baseball bats and cars for the last 10 years with absolutely minimal damage (to the mail box and not to a couple of vehicles that tapped it).

When I lived in upstate NY and had my mailbox wacked by the snow plows, I thought I was screwed. I bought a new post and box a couple of days later and was going to wait until spring to replace. I came home and the town had already put in a new one for me. A nice touch I thought.

quote Originally posted by 84Bill: What you need to do is put a concrete filled 6 inch steel pole about 4.5 feet from the box sticking up about 4 to 6 inches.

Bill I could agree but--

Do you have enough money to pay the idiot that sues you for running over the imovable object you just placed on the right of way that destroys his car and hurts himself?

i remember once when i was younger, some kids kept smashing our mailbox with baseball bats. my dad filled up a new box with concrete and just left a hole in there big enough to get the mail in/out. those kids came back and took a swing at it. i remember seeing them running down the street holding their arms crying. dumba$$es. they never tried that again. one of them would go by our house on his bike yelling profanities after that though. so one day my dad waited in the car. the kid came by on his bike yelling again, just as got to the rear of the car, my dad opened the door. lol....that kid hit the door and went flying. i laughed so hard i pi$$ed my pants! the kid took off and would only pass our house on the opposite side of the street. i kept his bike for years after that until it finally rusted up too much to fix. good times.

quote Originally posted by shawnkfl: ...my dad filled up a new box with concrete and just left a hole in there big enough to get the mail in/out...

I seen someone do that before. They took one of those over sized mailboxes, and filled it up with concrete leaving just enough room inside to fit a regular sized mailbox. So basically, you had a mailbox in a mailbox with a layer of concrete between the two.

After doing that, they had no more problems with vandals destroying their mailbox.

I've watched snowplow guys around here hit them on purpose, laughing the whole time. A couple years ago, one guy hit the box, and tore the top off (plastic mailbox) and the mail went flying into the street. We THINK we found all of it, and called to complain, They refused to do anything, and insisted it must have been the snow the plow pushed that did it. So we got the top of the box, and set it on top of the snow hill, which was at the perfect height for the mail lady for the rest of the winter. When the snow started to melt, she put a note in the box saying we needed to buy a new one. So now when the snow starts to fall, we take the new box out, and put the old one, duct-taped back together, back in place.

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1984 Fiero SE

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: I have a police scanner set with the DPW channels and have heard the plow drivers talking back and forth. It’s like bowling they keep score and everything.

I can just imagine what they say about your mailbox. "I bet you can't get it to swing around the pole twice!"

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: I have a police scanner set with the DPW channels and have heard the plow drivers talking back and forth. It’s like bowling they keep score and everything.

Hehehe.

Around these parts you wouldn't be getting mail.

If you don't use a federally approved box, the mail dude just drives on by. I always thought it was federal law, not state but i could be wrong.

I asked the mail person ahead of time, before building it. She said it was fine. We have a lot of this type of boxes up here. Some people put mail boxes inside a peace of pipe, some just use the pipe.

Someone had said all you have to do is have it approved by the local post master. But because I had gotten her OK I had not bothered.

None of the other carriers have ever said anything and we have three different ones depending on who is on vacation.

So who knows?

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

quote Originally posted by RWDPLZ: I've watched snowplow guys around here hit them on purpose, laughing the whole time. A couple years ago, one guy hit the box, and tore the top off (plastic mailbox) and the mail went flying into the street. We THINK we found all of it, and called to complain, They refused to do anything, and insisted it must have been the snow the plow pushed that did it. So we got the top of the box, and set it on top of the snow hill, which was at the perfect height for the mail lady for the rest of the winter. When the snow started to melt, she put a note in the box saying we needed to buy a new one. So now when the snow starts to fall, we take the new box out, and put the old one, duct-taped back together, back in place.

Well I don't know about your towns plows. But our plows fit just under the box so If some one puts the box at the wrong height it will prob. get hit by the plow.

I just hit one the other day. The box was hanging over curb, and the plow was even with it and nailed the box. I thought it was funny and called it in.

Somone buried a telephone pole in for their mailbox, right on a curve on my dirt road...

It totaled my GTP one night when it was insane icy out.

quote Originally posted by 84Bill: Plows have spring loaded blades on them. What you need to do is put a concrete filled 6 inch steel pole about 4.5 feet from the box sticking up about 4 to 6 inches. It will cause the plow blade to tilt forward at the top and "duck" under the mailbox.

If' you've never seen one run, it's hard to describe. There's more than the plow crunching it directly...

The class of plow used in that region sheers reinforced concrete like butter. In many cases you've got a front plow and wing blade.

Operational speed of the vehicle is up to 40-50 MPH depending in snow depth. The force of the snow/debris coming off the plow at close range has been known to cause most of the damage and even fatal on occasion. When you hear one of these coming, don't be near the road.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top of every forum page...)

You are correct these are monsters on the town plows, just like the ones used on the highways.

Wing blade and all.

I know the type he was talking about, my yard plow has that trip blade on it. But that is only an 8’ blade.

Not sure if the town plow has a trip blade, but I do know it is at least a 9’ blade and taller than my yard plow.

I know the plow hit it once at least, other times it may have been the snow coming of the plow. There is a small, very small ding in the very front of the box at 4 O’clock. You may or may not be able to see the damage in the last picture.

The plow came by twice today while I was working out in front of the barn, he missed both times. I really wanted to get video of it, just to post for fun. I really can’t blame the guy for hitting it, I don’t think he is doing it on purpose. Besides I met the guy and his wife, who plows for the town one time this summer. He saw the mailbox and said that it would damage the plow if he hit it, so he wasn’t going to hit it if he could help it.

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Take a peek:

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=25074

I have a NEW mailbox story, this time with a happy ending:

About a week ago, I woke up to the sound of a large engine reving outside. I thought, "WTF?" Looked at the clock, and it was about 8:45 AM. We just had a big snow storm and the roads hadn't been plowed, there was maybe 6" on the ground, the ground being compacted snow (basically ice). I go to the window just in time to see a guy in a red pickup truck back into our mailbox at full force, cracking it and pushing it over to make a 30 degree angle with the ground. He tried to put it back up, and it fell back over. So what does he do? He jumps in his truck and leaves! So I get my shoes on and grab the digital camera I'd been transfering files from the previuos night, jump in my little brother's Honda Civic and start after him. Found him a couple blocks away, and took a picture of his truck, the license plate, and the company sign on his door. Went back to the house and took pics of the truck's tracks in the snow, and the guy's footprints.

Went back inside and saved the images to the hard drive. Called the company and got the owner. He said he was VERY sorry about what happened, and they'd replace it the next morning. Next morning, there was a nice new mailbox there, just like the old one

quote Originally posted by FieroRumor: Take a peek: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=25074

That’s a local here in Maine that builds those.

www.MailSwing.com

Stop shoveling out from under your mailbox with our fully adjustable MailSwing. The MailSwing will swing a full 360 degrees and return to center with no resetting! This allows the snowplow to clear the snow from under your mailbox without any damage! Made from galvanized steel to help prevent rust, can be painted with a rust-free paint color to suit your taste. For more info click here.



 MailSwing Complete Package
Price: $199.99
Quantity in Basket: none

Includes MailSwing, Galvanized Steel Post with Cap, Mailbox Mounting Brackets, Standard Size Mailbox, Either Molded, or Small Steel and easy to follow instructions.


But at 200 bucks that’s a little steep for me, mine I think I have like $20 in for the pipe I had to buy and another $10 for the chain.

I do give the guys dad who invented it back in the 70’s credit though. Smart idea.

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Around here, if the mail carrier finds it satisfactory and it's the proper height, it's fine. They've told me for the last three years I was supposed to put my name on the box, but I won't do it. The address is there, the name they don't need. Last year they threatened to stop delivering my mail. I told them when every house IN TOWN had a name on it, I'd consider it. I still get my mail. Fierogirls Mom or Litespd are both USPS employees (or Mom was, not sure she still is) so they would know.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: I asked the mail person ahead of time, before building it. She said it was fine. We have a lot of this type of boxes up here. Some people put mail boxes inside a peace of pipe, some just use the pipe. Someone had said all you have to do is have it approved by the local post master. But because I had gotten her OK I had not bothered. None of the other carriers have ever said anything and we have three different ones depending on who is on vacation. So who knows?

Since we are on the subject of mailboxes and such.

A few years ago we were buying a house in the country and had a real jerk for a mailman, during an ice storm he walked to our mailbox to put a handwritten note saying that we were to trim the branch away from the mailbox or we would no longer get mail. I went outside and shook the ice off of the little branch and there was more than enough room. The same mailman was constantly driving through our yard (to avoid mud puddles) and everyone on the route had to have taller mailboxes due to him driving a big raised 4X4. One sunday after asking him several times to not drive through our yard and having him actually drive over bales of straw I had put out to stop the him from going in the yard I went out removed the mailbox took my saw and cut the pole to the mimimum height that the postmaster General guy at the local post office said it had to be and put a new box on slanting down. He never said a word, but from then on he had to open his door to put mail in our box, something that would have been avoided had he used a little respect. On a side note he didnt stop driving in our yard until the 20 or so feet of 2X4 with the longest nails I could find found at least two of his tires.

Brad

Ready for another round of Mailbox Vs. Snowplows steve?

Man, its not that time again.

Brad

That is really cool. I like your mailbox.

quote Originally posted by twofatguys: Man, its not that time again. Brad

Up here you never know when it will start, the snow I mean. it is getting close to it though. My buddy and I have been working on his new to him yard plow truck.

It is Maine you know, it could snow anytime now.

Steve

Did I tell you guys about the neighbor a few miles down the road who came home one night back in the summer and took the whole thing down, post and all?

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

When I was a kid, some of us used to drive down country roads, and lariat a few mailboxes, but mostly road signs. Had the lariat tied to the bumper, and it usually held ok. One day this guy lariats a speed limit sign, and it breaks his rope--twice. He yells to stop the truck, jumps out and walks up to the sign pushing--then pulling on it to loosen it up. He let go of it when he had it pushed away from him, and it sprung back, and the sign smashed into his face--breaking his nose. Bled like a pig.

not gonna say who that stupid kid was. cough cough.....

You need to paint "Bring it on" on the side.

when i was a kid we had a friend in the country who would at the begining of summer would lose about 2 or 3 mailboxs to the local highschool punks. to cure that he filled an "oversize" mailbox with rotten pig cr@p and spoiled eggs and set it down the road about 1/2 mile.... the best part was we all found out who was doing it as the kid was using daddys classic convertable with a custom leather interior.. totaly ruined.... lol and guess who got to walk to school for the rest of his time there....

even 30 years later it makes me smile
=todd=

When I was younger a neighbor reenforced his mailbox because it kept getting ran over. Everyone in the area had the same problem and had complained to the county sheriff. One night a couple of tenagers runs over it along with several other mail boxes along that road. One of the teenagers was badly injured. His parents sewed the neighbor for damages and won.