# Easily repairable mailbox ideas **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 18, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119 "2018-10-18T01:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/21 "2018-10-18T14:05:08Z")
I guess is says alot about me:rolleyes:, but I’d be pouring concrete bunker around my mail box:D ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/22 "2018-10-18T16:31:07Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Ethics aside, I wonder what the laws say about using a ridiculously robust mounting post for your mailbox… Exactly. There have been folks around here (SE Ohio) who were required to remove their over the top attempts at constructing indestructible mailboxes. If your home box is destroyed **that** often, perhaps a PO box may be a viable alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/23 "2018-10-18T16:31:19Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Ethics aside, I wonder what the laws say about using a ridiculously robust mounting post for your mailbox. Here in Roswell GA They’re enforcing “Code 18.2.1, Section D” to tell people they cannot have brick mailboxes in their yard; even though many people believe that the code was written for mailboxes that extend out into the road. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to a guy in 2016 who flew off the road, crashed through a brick mailbox, and then hit the one on the next house over. He was killed, and his 20+ year old daughter was ejected and also died. Unfortunately in the couple of years that have passed, the new articles aren’t saying how fast he was going. At the time it happened, as I recall, he was going WAY over the speed limit. Related Articles > **[Father, Daughter Killed In Roswell Crash](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/father-daughter-killed-roswell-crash)** > > The family dog also perished in the crash, which was reported around 1:20 a.m. Monday on King Road. > **[Funeral On Friday For Father, Daughter Killed in Crash](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/funeral-friday-father-daughter-killed-crash)** > > Steve Smith and daughter, Sydney, died early Monday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Roswell. > **[Municode Library](https://library.municode.com/ga/roswell/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORROGE_CH18STSIPUPL_ART18.2PR_S18.2.1OBSTRI-W)** > > MunicodeNEXT, the industry's leading search application with over 3,300 codes and growing! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/24 "2018-10-18T16:50:23Z")
Say it with me: “decorative boulder”. A couple thousand pounds of rock ain’t going nowhere. You can either put the decorative boulder in front of your regular mailbox, or if you can find one the right size and shape, bolt your mailbox to the top of it. I’ve even found pictures where people have cut holes into their boulders to mount their mailboxes inside. Downside: you’re gonna need a special install, a dude with a crane, to get it in place. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/25 "2018-10-18T17:16:04Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > If your home box is destroyed **that** often, perhaps a PO box may be a viable alternative. It’s a fair point. OP, what’s likely to be cheaper and less frustrating? A PO box or your current situation? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/26 "2018-10-18T17:29:06Z")
I’ve thought of using two posts, drilling holes running the same way as the posts and using a dowel to connect them. The dowel breaks, the post falls, and you pull the pieces of dowel out and replace them. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/27 "2018-10-18T17:42:31Z")
Forget the mailbox. How about the house? :eek: [https://goo.gl/images/1VFqe1](https://goo.gl/images/1VFqe1) ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/28 "2018-10-18T18:16:36Z")
Weld the post to a large steel truck rim. The snowplows will take ours out a couple times a winter and we can just drag it back into place. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/29 "2018-10-18T18:23:33Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Here in Roswell GA They’re enforcing “Code 18.2.1, Section D” to tell people they cannot have brick mailboxes in their yard; even though many people believe that the code was written for mailboxes that extend out into the road. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to a guy in 2016 who flew off the road, crashed through a brick mailbox, and then hit the one on the next house over. He was killed, and his 20+ year old daughter was ejected and also died. Unfortunately in the couple of years that have passed, the new articles aren’t saying how fast he was going. At the time it happened, as I recall, he was going WAY over the speed limit. > > Related Articles > [Father, Daughter Killed In Roswell Crash | Roswell, GA Patch](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/father-daughter-killed-roswell-crash) > [Funeral On Friday For Father, Daughter Killed in Crash | Roswell, GA Patch](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/funeral-friday-father-daughter-killed-crash) > [Municode Library](https://library.municode.com/ga/roswell/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORROGE_CH18STSIPUPL_ART18.2PR_S18.2.1OBSTRI-W) If they made the law against fortified mailboxes because they hurt people (who can’t drive/follow laws), I find that to be inconsistent . (Trees, poles, bridge supports are also hard impacts) Ever since I was a kid I wondered why we put opposing traffic so close, and we line the road with sidewalks and trees and power poles. So, error left is a head on accident, error right is taking out a sidewalk full of people.:smack::smack: Kinda like having a firing range thru the middle of a crowded store.:eek:😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/30 "2018-10-18T19:03:09Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Forget the mailbox. How about the house? > :eek: > [https://goo.gl/images/1VFqe1](https://goo.gl/images/1VFqe1) It looks as though the car came out the worse for wear and tear. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/31 "2018-10-18T19:10:16Z")
I used one of [these](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oz-Post-4-in-x-4-in-Hot-Dipped-Galvanized-Wood-to-Steel-Base/1000567911?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-SosBuildersHardware-_-1000567911:Oz-Post&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000567911&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=ffad06e5-e3a2-4c17-9b99-77911853b9d0&gclid=CjwKCAjw3qDeBRBkEiwAsqeO7k4t97F06MYZIBBzapaideBcYZZtlhkGtgjQRR4AfuJv7MTX66MaTRoCAGkQAvD_BwE) for the first couple years in my house. There was no mail box at the house when I moved in, and after a few years the snow plows stopped knocking it down and I put a real post in the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/32 "2018-10-18T19:42:33Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > If they made the law against fortified mailboxes because they hurt people (who can’t drive/follow laws), I find that to be inconsistent . (Trees, poles, bridge supports are also hard impacts) . . . Bridge supports, highway poles, and other things are sometimes required to install[impact attenuators](https://www.traffixdevices.com/products/attenuators). > [@steatopygia](#): > > [Here](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=657&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=4uTHW6yjGtHB0PEP9ouyqAw&q=hanging+mailbox&oq=hanging+mailbox&gs_l=img.3..0l6j0i5i30l2j0i8i30l2.37645.43773..45516...0.0..1.1553.9774.5-3j5j2j1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67.NynmlOOEpaA#imgrc=QjhPoeIRGR73lM:) is a better example of the suspended box idea. I love the swinging mailbox idea, but that looks like a pricey pole. If you’re looking for a cheap break-away, would a [traffic sign unistrut](https://www.seton.com/galvanized-square-breakaway-sign-posts-and-kits-sp281.html) work? They say break-away, but often the square strut bends over. Either way, you then unbolt the bent or broken strut from the sleeve and bolt on a new one. You could also attach a sleeve to the mailbox, so that it’s replaceable at both ends. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/33 "2018-10-18T20:09:30Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Here in Roswell GA They’re enforcing “Code 18.2.1, Section D” to tell people they cannot have brick mailboxes in their yard; even though many people believe that the code was written for mailboxes that extend out into the road. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to a guy in 2016 who flew off the road, crashed through a brick mailbox, and then hit the one on the next house over. He was killed, and his 20+ year old daughter was ejected and also died. Unfortunately in the couple of years that have passed, the new articles aren’t saying how fast he was going. At the time it happened, as I recall, he was going WAY over the speed limit. > > Related Articles > [Father, Daughter Killed In Roswell Crash | Roswell, GA Patch](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/father-daughter-killed-roswell-crash) > [Funeral On Friday For Father, Daughter Killed in Crash | Roswell, GA Patch](https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/funeral-friday-father-daughter-killed-crash) > [Municode Library](https://library.municode.com/ga/roswell/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORROGE_CH18STSIPUPL_ART18.2PR_S18.2.1OBSTRI-W) In the few months since I moved to the Atlanta area (howdy, neighbor!) I’ve observed an awful lot of brick mailboxes, especially in the more affluent communities like Sandy Springs. Your cite for the law doesn’t indicate whether existing ones were grandfathered in. If not, and if I understand the intent of the law, there are a whole lot of illegal mailboxes out there. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/34 "2018-10-18T20:12:19Z")
Where my parents live, the primary dangers to the mailboxes are the snowplows and the kids playing mailbox baseball (i.e., vandalism). So a few houses have a sheet of plywood leaning against their mailbox. Sometimes, they have plywood leaning against the mailbox on both sides, sort of putting it in a tent. I suppose it works to protect the mailbox but it looks really horrible, particularly when the house number is roughly spray-painted on the plywood sheet. I’d show you a picture if I could find one online. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/35 "2018-10-19T12:03:39Z")
Thanks, everyone. I basically moved the post back a bit and went with a swing-arm type approach. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/36 "2018-10-19T12:12:50Z")
I have a question about hanging the mailbox from a chain. Would not that make it more difficult to use from a truck due to it being able to swing? Will the postoffice accept them universally? Are they a pain for the letter carrier? OK 3 questions. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/37 "2018-10-19T13:55:02Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I have a question about hanging the mailbox from a chain. Would not that make it more difficult to use from a truck due to it being able to swing? Will the postoffice accept them universally? Are they a pain for the letter carrier? OK 3 questions. Yes I don’t know Probably ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/38 "2018-10-20T02:45:26Z")
I know its too lat but I’d set my mail box on a [bollard](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://cdnassets.hw.net/dims4/GG/3df5464/2147483647/resize/876x%253E/quality/90/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fcdnassets.hw.net%252Fa3%252F1a%252F65016f5a4618b310c9c8af3ce13b%252F0814-jlc-qa-bollard-1-tcm45-2194695.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/creating-a-bollard_o&h=775&w=876&tbnid=YEHm0nIJWAitkM&q=what+is+a+bollard+in+construction&tbnh=129&tbnw=146&usg=AI4_-kSGMD6Qg7KUuAw7bMIsY7sfYnOnCw&vet=1&docid=1UzadFUZnz_EHM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjCiJbP_5PeAhUgGTQIHdj9D_YQ_h0wE3oECAUQCA), they are designed to take impacts from cars and can look quite decorative. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/39 "2018-10-20T03:29:41Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I know its too lat but I’d set my mail box on a [bollard](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://cdnassets.hw.net/dims4/GG/3df5464/2147483647/resize/876x%253E/quality/90/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fcdnassets.hw.net%252Fa3%252F1a%252F65016f5a4618b310c9c8af3ce13b%252F0814-jlc-qa-bollard-1-tcm45-2194695.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/creating-a-bollard_o&h=775&w=876&tbnid=YEHm0nIJWAitkM&q=what+is+a+bollard+in+construction&tbnh=129&tbnw=146&usg=AI4_-kSGMD6Qg7KUuAw7bMIsY7sfYnOnCw&vet=1&docid=1UzadFUZnz_EHM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjCiJbP_5PeAhUgGTQIHdj9D_YQ_h0wE3oECAUQCA)… [Parking in front of a liquor store](https://i.imgur.com/M7HrfwT.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119/40 "2018-10-20T04:53:55Z")
Wile E. Coyote needs to consider this question. Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson can be his consultants on the project. My first thought is a mailbox held by a pulley system that then retracts into the house’s attic and deposits the mail on the kitchen table. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easily-repairable-mailbox-ideas/823119.md?page=3)