Smashed Mailbox Dilema

[Saturn Tire]

We have a continual dilema where we live. We've had up nice mailboxes and a nice mailbox gets smashed in the middle of the night until it's all beat up. The problem has gotten more regular in the last years. We have gone through 3 mailboxes in the last 5 years. We would love to put up a new spring mailbox, but we know this will just end up getting smashed within a week, just like the rest of them.
So, at my husbands regret, he is leaving the smashed mailbox rather than replacing it... Even repairing it brings attention and smashers. What to do the get dry mail?

 

[golfgal]

Have you reported it to the police? The post office has standards for mail boxes and a smashed one might mean they won't leave your mail. I would suggest building a brick or concrete surround for your mailbox so they can't smash it.

 

[Virgo10]

We had the problem too when we first moved here. Finally I called the police and after that it never happened again. This led me to believe it was someone in the neighborhood who saw the cops at my house checking out the mailbox.

How about getting a rubber one. I get a great visual of some jerk hitting it and having the bat bounce back up in their face. Really, what is the purpose of doing this??

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Install a security camera. Shoot I would just to see who is doing it.
Report it to the police and well my dogs would go bananas if someone was beating up our mailbox. They would be busted.

 

[daisyduck123]

Install a security camera. Shoot I would just to see who is doing it.

This works!!
We did that to see who was continually letting their dog poop on our front lawn.

 

[dejr_8]

I've seen people build cages around mailboxes using pipe.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...003+528082+90282&catalogId=10053&dim_search=1

 

[littleteapot]

Do you live in a rural area? These idiots usually whack them from cars (mailbox baseball) , so putting a metal post (s), set in concrete, beside the box may be enough to protect it.

 

[mirthmaiden]

That happened to me last year. I live in a very rural subdivision. My mailbox is 1/2 mile down a dirt road from my home. There are about 10 mailboxes there. Out of those, probably 7 of them are currently mutilated in some way - either they have holes blown straight through from shotgun blasts, doors ripped off, etc. I had one of those plastic Step-2 mailboxes. They blew it apart with a gun. The post office gave me a P.O. Box for a few weeks while I was replacing it. I got just a $5.00 basic metal box on a metal pole and it hasn't been touched since.

 

[PatsGirl]

Yep, I'm on mailbox #3 in the past five years. This time by DB put it in for me and set it back about 6" from the other boxes It's a little more difficult to get at both for me and the mail lady but would be nearly impossible for a carload of kids to get at when passing by -- it has worked wonders!

 

[crz4mm2]

Happens around here too. Up the road from us, a guy has his inside a transmission case from a car!! LOL. Looks terrible, but he doesn't need to replace his anymore
I'd do bricks or something too.
We live on a road with only two houses on it and have so far,never had that problem. Lived her 10 years.

 

[Saturn Tire]

Thanks for idea of metal posts. that might work. Also, I too live in a very rural, were talking cow town USA. Very easy target. It seems in past, the more creative I get or expensive it is the more pride, creativity, ingenuity, thought is put into it's demise.

Perhaps metal posts and of course my all-time ultimate secret weapon and right hand when making repairs the, almighty Duct Tape.

 

[nordkin]

We are now using a Rubbermaid mailbox because we got tired of replacing them every year. The police actually suggested it.

On a good note, they caught the teens responsible for smashing the mailboxes last year, always happens around graduation time, and the judge made them replace every mailbox they hit. When I say replace, he made them go out and purchase the mailboxes as well as do the work to replace them. They replaced several posts as well as mailboxes. I hope this will be a lesson to the others who may think this is a right of passage when graduating from high school.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Remember the older LARGER mailbox? I have seen people take those, put the smaller ones that we use today inside of it and pour concrete around the smaller one.
I really hope that makes sense

 

[Mkrop]

whatever you do make sure the USPS approves it first. My neighbor is in an ongoing battle with our mailman (who is a jerk anyway) and they keep going round and round with appeals to the post office from my neighbor, the mailman slapping Return to Sender stickers etc. It is amusing for the rest of us to watch but my neighbor is freaking out

 

[kangareaux]

http://steelmailbox.com/#vandal

 

[TaraLee4]

My grandparents had that problem when i was younger. My grandpa bought a new mailbox and in that handy dandy shed of his came up with a contraption that had the mailbox sit on it's post but if someone wanted to play mailbox baseball, the mailbox would spin, not get knocked over. They've never bought another mailbox.

 

[ocd4disney]

Most of the houses in my neighborhood have the bricks all around the mailboxes. We had some vandals come through and try to destroy them.....the regular mailboxes on posts were untouched, but the ones with bricks had holes and bricks missing all around the bases. I think one was completely knocked over. At first I thought someone crashed into it with his car by accident until I saw the others on the street.

I don't understand why destroying someone's property is so thrilling

 

[JR6ooo4]

check your local ordinances. Mail boxes must be a "break-away" style in my town. (or at least were I grew up, two towns over). Someone put up a solid brick colum for a mailbox post with regualtion metal box inside. The town sent letters to the homeowner requesting they remove it, they refused. The town sent a bulldozer to remove it. ANd I am sure sent them a bill.

This was for a mailbox that is right up next to the curb of the street. Which is usualy village property.

I suggest the video camera. Also for a few weeks put a huge sign on each side fo the mailbox saying the area is now being videotaped due to vandalism. In case they do not notice the camera.

Mikeeee

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I guess we're lucky. Our mailbox gets knocked over by people making 3 point turns fairly often. But generally they come to our door to apologize, and one guy even bought us a new setup before we realized it was down.

Would it be possible to do some type of "neigborhood watch" and work with the police on it? Love all the ideas but the videocamera will probably be your best bet. Good luck.

 

[ShesAPirate]

How about getting a rubber one. I get a great visual of some jerk hitting it and having the bat bounce back up in their face.

I love this idea. Does that make me sadistic?