What is inside your brick enclosed mailbox?

dennishoddy · Dec 3, 2019

MacFromOK said:
If it's illegal, "consensus of opinion" is kinda moot...

IIRC, @CHenry had info on state law regarding this issue.

Oh, I know, just didn't remember if the consensus was if it was illegal or not. I figure the state has to use the breakaway bases currently in use but utility companies have poles that don't break away as close to the roadway as the signs. The road that runs below our house has utility company poles less than 10' from the blacktop road. Don't know.

NightShade · Dec 3, 2019

Thought about making some nice mail boxes if I had some place to do it. If I was to build them I would cast a hollow concrete core then adhere the brick to the outside of it. Once it's in place the home owner could then fill it up with sand or rock or whatever. Be simple enough to make then load on a trailer and drop in place wherever it's wanted. When the truck barreling down the road hits it that would be the end of the truck to say the least and the kids who want to do stupid crap would never want to take a swing at it. Even without being filled up it would probably total a small car and just need a little brick replaced. As long as it's back far enough from the road I doubt it would matter. A tree that has been grown to be about 24" in diameter will total a car easily, same goes for power poles. You probably could not put a heavy duty box next to a highway where everything is cleared back a good ways but on residential street with a low speed limit, I doubt anyone would bat an eye. Then again I have heard it said that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Kinda like ignoring signs since concealed is concealed.

But the things workers will toss where they think it will never be found can be pretty bad. While working on a paving crew most of them just threw their trash in the concrete and it ended becoming a part of the road forever. I know one stretch where a bunch of chicken bones was thrown out ahead of the paver. However the worst thing to find while working construction was actually old rotten sod. The sod will get stripped off an area and often times thrown at the very bottom of an existing grade and covered over. That old putrid grass is a horrendous smell if you are ever working on a pipe crew and end up being unlucky enough to come across some of it.

Tanis143 · Dec 3, 2019

As far as what the builders leave behind in places they think won't be checked, I've found a ton of stuff in attics of brand new homes. Went into one and found a six pack's worth of empty beer cans and several cigarette butts hidden behind the heater unit. The people moving in were the first owners. After seeing how some houses are constructed (namely Rausch Coleman homes) I think the builders were constantly high or drunk.

The funniest was in one house I was cutting a hole in the wall for a new outlet and my drywall saw caught on something hard. I backed off and cut just a bit higher and when I took the drywall plug out I found a crap load of duplo blocks in the wall. The only thing I can think of was the other side had the washer hookups and some kid during construction decided to hide his duplo collection in the wall. I pulled this one figure out that looks like a old time sailor on a fishing boat. He still rides with me to this day in my van. I have him stuck to the dash and he serves as my lookout. I showed the home owner and he got a good laugh out of it and agreed to my taking of the duplo figure.

-Pjackso · Dec 8, 2019

MacFromOK said:
Isn't it illegal to construct a gorilla-strong structure near a roadway? Might be a real problem if someone hits it and is injured.

Seems like we may have discussed this before...

Yes, mailbox posts are supposed to shear off if hit by a vehicle.
For safety purposes.

https://www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm

Snattlerake · Dec 8, 2019

Tanis143 · Dec 8, 2019

-Pjackso said:
Yes, mailbox posts are supposed to shear off if hit by a vehicle.
For safety purposes.

https://www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm

Its recommended, not required. The way I look at it I live on a residential street. If you hit a solid metal pole going 25 mph you'll probably total the car but will walk away. If you get hurt hitting a solid metal pipe mailbox on a residential street, you were going too fast to begin with and the fault rests on you.

Pstmstr · Dec 8, 2019

Tanis143 said:
Its recommended, not required. The way I look at it I live on a residential street. If you hit a solid metal pole going 25 mph you'll probably total the car but will walk away. If you get hurt hitting a solid metal pipe mailbox on a residential street, you were going too fast to begin with and the fault rests on you.

The way you look at it may not be the same as those who may judge your actions. The “recommendations” are there for a reason. What would be your reason, you didn’t want to replace a $20 mail box? I’d err on the side of caution in today’s environment.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Snattlerake · Dec 8, 2019

A lot of rural mailboxes have gone to swing away because they keep getting clipped by implements.

Powerman620 · Dec 8, 2019

Mine is on a dead end residential street, one block long. You will have to be doing something really stupid and illegal to get enough speed up to do a lot of damage. It is hollow and not solid so it will probably just move when hit.

Tanis143 · Dec 8, 2019

pstmstr said:
The way you look at it may not be the same as those who may judge your actions. The “recommendations” are there for a reason. What would be your reason, you didn’t want to replace a $20 mail box? I’d err on the side of caution in today’s environment.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

$20? Yeah, if I want a wal-mart looking cheapo mailbox setup. I'm talking I put the time, money and effort to make a nice looking mailbox I would want it to last past my lifetime, including if a neighbor gets drunk and thinks he's Sonic collecting coins with mailboxes as the coins.

This is one of the major problems I see with society. They want to shift the blame onto me, instead of the drunk/high idiot who was doing 50 mph on a residential street. I'm sorry, screw em. I've already had to rebuild my mailbox twice in less than 10 years. Next one I build is going to be sturdy enough to withstand a car hitting it. As I said, if they get injured from hitting my mailbox it means they were driving way too fast for a residential AND driving into my yard while doing so.

What is inside your brick enclosed mailbox?

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