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View Full Version : Children+Mailbox= Me not happpy



Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 10:51 AM
Y'all.. I need someone to try and break this down for me. I have a problem with my mailbox. Recently moved into a new home, and three times now, I've left for work, and my mailbox has been dented slightly and/or leaning badly/on the ground. I suspect kids, the neighborhood is full of them. I've even tried relocating it thinking maybe the hole was just worn, but it didn't work. I heard rumors from the neighbor that it's happened to others but seems very random, and I'm certain I haven't done something to rub someone the wrong way, we keep to ourselves, keep the noise down, and I maintain the yard. All this points to a child or children with a bat or something, at least in my eyes. SO, my question is, why in the he-double-hockey-sticks is it illegal for me to reinforce my mailbox as heavily as I see fit? I read somewhere there have been lawsuits against homeowners about people getting hurt while trying to destroy someone's mailbox, and these people damaging someone else's property are actually winning. I. Don't. Get it. How does that make sense? Can anyone explain that to me? Really scratching my head on this one.

Bob Bouis
04-13-2018, 11:01 AM
Because if someone drives into your mailbox accidentally you want it to break instead of them.

Mel Fulks
04-13-2018, 11:08 AM
Bob is right and there are specific and lengthy specifications on line.

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 11:09 AM
Is it not technically my property that the hypothetical crash occurs on though..?
Still begs the question how someone can be held liable for injuries when the injured party was, essentially, vandalizing.

Steve Schlumpf
04-13-2018, 11:26 AM
Get a security camera and turn the video over to the cops.

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 11:28 AM
Get a security camera and turn the video over to the cops.


That's what I'm trying to do. I have limited funds since my SO lost her job due to medical issues. So I'm working with what I got. I think I have an older model GO Pro laying around somewhere that I want to set up.

Mel Fulks
04-13-2018, 11:33 AM
[QUOTE=Chase Mueller;2802030]Is it not technically my property that the hypothetical crash occurs on though..?

Most likely the mail box is in the "public right of way". Most places require you to maintain it.

Lee Schierer
04-13-2018, 11:34 AM
We have had that problem periodically where we live. It seems to be something bored high school kids do for entertainment. The kids don't even know you so likely you didn't do anything except move into the neighbor hood. Your only recourse is to see who is doing it, follow them home and speak with their parents. It is even better if you can photograph them. The police won't do anything with out positive proof. A neighbor just down the road obtained a piece of 12" well casing and put his mail box inside it mounted on a wooden post. If a car hits it the post will break, but it is likely the mailbox will survive.

You can legally purchase heavy duty mail boxes at any big box store that is made with significantly heavier steel. They are approved by the post office. You can also mount it on a pivoting support soo it will swing out of the way if hit by a snowplow or baseball bat.

Bob Bouis
04-13-2018, 11:36 AM
Is it not technically my property that the hypothetical crash occurs on though..?
Still begs the question how someone can be held liable for injuries when the injured party was, essentially, vandalizing.

It may be on your property, but you have to play by the post office's rules if you want them to deliver mail to it. The mailbox is also probably close enough to the road that it's subject the county/city/state/whatever easement for the road. And that's just from the property rights perspective -- the government generally doesn't think it needs a justification to tell you what you can do on your own property.

As far as injuring vandals, I'm not sure about that but as a general rule you can't set booby traps for trespassers. It's just a value judgment that human life and health is worth more than property.

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 11:44 AM
Gotcha, thanks Mel

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 11:45 AM
Guess I'm just a piece of human garbage then. No sympathy for anyone who gets injured while committing a crime.

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 11:47 AM
I figure reinforcing the box would be fine, so long as no one gets injured, I just don't want to gamble on an if like that.
I'm hoping I can put a stop to this with minimal blood in the water, but disrespecting me like that is a real good way to get on my bad side.

Bob Bouis
04-13-2018, 12:04 PM
I generally agree with you, but this isn't the right hill to die on. I know it's frustrating, but replacing your mailbox now and then is just not that big of a deal.

Todd Mason-Darnell
04-13-2018, 12:14 PM
It is not illegal to reinforce your mailbox here--so long as you are compliant to US Postal codes. It is very common to see a brick housing built around a mail box or in more rural areas for a well pipe fence built around it.

Jim Becker
04-13-2018, 12:30 PM
Get a security camera and turn the video over to the cops.
This...............

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 12:39 PM
It is not illegal to reinforce your mailbox here--so long as you are compliant to US Postal codes. It is very common to see a brick housing built around a mail box or in more rural areas for a well pipe fence built around it.


See, that's what I was going to do in order to be legal, then the HOA I didn't know the house was a part of was like ha, nope. Shame

andrew whicker
04-13-2018, 1:13 PM
It sounds really frustrating, but kids can break their wrists by swinging a bat into concrete. I personally don't want to do that to a kid because he and his buddies decided to have dumb fun.

I did a lot of dumb stuff growing up. I didn't vandalize, but I'm also not going to severely injure a kid over a mailbox. They'll grow up, buy a house, get their own mailbox and then deal with it later in life.

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 1:31 PM
You're probably right, I'm sure it's in good fun to them, but frustrates me to no end.
what these kids don't realize, is that I may not want to involve the cops. Maybe I wanna even the playing field, or better yet, one up them, and remain anonymous. I wouldn't hurt them or damage their parents property, but maybe I can have some fun with this actually.. Any suggestions? :p

Mike Henderson
04-13-2018, 1:43 PM
It is not illegal to reinforce your mailbox here--so long as you are compliant to US Postal codes. It is very common to see a brick housing built around a mailbox or in more rural areas for a well pipe fence built around it.

Practically every house in my neighborhood has a stone or brick structure housing the mailbox. I'll post a picture or two later.

We don't have any problems (that I'm aware of) with mailboxes getting damaged. All the neighborhood kids are perfect angels:)

Mike

[Here are a few of the "protected" mailboxes in my neighborhood.}
383745 383744 383746

Malcolm McLeod
04-13-2018, 2:46 PM
... then the HOA I didn't know the house was a part of ...

If you truly did not get notified of the active HOA on your property, then you need to look real hard at your title company. This is so basic to their job that it's laughable that they missed it. Your closing package should have included the by-laws (with covenants and restrictions), the annual (or monthly) dues and assessments, HOA management company info, and any prorated amounts for payments to the HOA year-to-date at closing.

If this was in the closing package, well .... I'll leave that alone.;)

As for the mailbox, when i was young (...last week:cool:), a group of younger 'gentlemen' with whom I was acquainted, decided to mow down mailboxes with their pickup. Apparently this was quite funny. Somewhere in course of this prank, a mailbox mounted on a 2x8 snapped off, came thru the windshield, and hit one of them in the face. No, I wasn't a participant, but it was a small, no-secrets town. It was my sad task to attend the funeral, see a families' grief, and most notable to me was the effect on the driver. It was not pretty.

The mailbox in question wasn't 'reinforced'; it simply fit well on the 2x8, and that attached quite nicely to a 4x4 PT post. Just like eleventy-seven others on any given stretch of American road. Moral? If you're doing something stupid, there is virtually nothing the homeowner, the post office, or even the nanny state can do to guarantee your safety.

Presumably this is done from a vehicle, so perhaps a post 12" away on the 'upstream' side to prevent batting practice by passers-by? Just needs to be big enough to impede their swing; not so much to total the car?

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 2:52 PM
Sorry to hear of someone's passing. May tick me off, but I'd never wish death for something so juvenile and generally harmless.

Just to clarify, I don't own the home, I rent. My friend owns the home but travels for work something to the nature of 200+ days a year. Honestly the perfect roommate.

John K Jordan
04-13-2018, 3:01 PM
...then the HOA I didn't know the house was a part of was like ha, nope.

I hope that's not the reason the last people moved!

I wonder if those of us who did not have fun vandalizing things as kids might be less understanding. The local paper did a story on a guy who had to replace his mailbox a lot, sometimes more than once a week if I remember correctly. Every time I drove by the mailbox was dented - I think he left them up even if well smashed and sometimes even when on the ground - said the mail carriers sometimes would put the mail in the smashed box in the ditch! He saved a big pile of smashed mailboxes and didn't seem concerned about it, in fact more amused than anything. I sounded like it was a community tradition to drive by his place with a baseball bat, perhaps made more tempting since he lived far from the road on an inside curve with no neighbors in sight. Someone said he enjoyed a similar hobby when he was a teenager.

I wonder if you can construct a mailbox from some kind of rubber such as a piece of 3/4" thick stall mat rolled into a tunnel and bolted to a 2x6. That might be harder for the authorities to claim it would hurt someone. Or use the rubber to wrap and pad an officially approved mailbox. That stuff is incredibly tough. And/or attach a strong steel box to a hinged break-away post - when knocked over pick it back up and hold it with another piece of duct tape. Or make the post flexible so it will bounce back. Maybe producing flexible indestructible mailboxes and posts would be a good business venture for you in your spare time. Quick, file for a patent. :) (Offer an enhanced model with an optional strobe light and audio alert, maybe wifi notification. Ha.)

Oops, google tells me the flexible post has already been done ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJkFKMnUas ) along with snowplow-proof mailboxes:


https://youtu.be/TJKdJKxGE2A

The only mailbox trouble I've ever had was right after we moved here when a neighbor accidentally backed into it and broke the post. He was ready to drive to HD and buy a new one but instead it was an opportunity to enjoyed some quality time in the shop together making a new one from a cedar 4x4 I had just cut on the sawmill. It's was better than the old one! (and still good after 14 years)

JKJ

Stan Calow
04-13-2018, 3:07 PM
Anybody can sue anybody for anything, anytime. Whether its legal or not.

John C Cox
04-13-2018, 3:12 PM
The thing is - generally kids have enough sense not to go after steel and brick work....

My bigger concern is swerving out of the way to miss the 3 year old who darts into the road and wrapping your car around a mailbox post..

I think you may have better luck buying a cheap "Trail Camera" and mounting it inconspicuously in a bush with good visibility of the mailbox... Wait a week or 3 and see how it goes. Just make sure you look into the "black flash" models... The white flash models go off like a conventional camera.... If you have a "regular" one - put it way up high out if the reach of teenagers....

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 3:16 PM
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check with my post office and see what they say!

Myk Rian
04-13-2018, 3:18 PM
Maybe this mailbox will have them second guessing their actions.

383749

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 3:20 PM
The thing is - generally kids have enough sense not to go after steel and brick work....

My bigger concern is swerving out of the way to miss the 3 year old who darts into the road and wrapping your car around a mailbox post..

I think you may have better luck buying a cheap "Trail Camera" and mounting it inconspicuously in a bush with good visibility of the mailbox... Wait a week or 3 and see how it goes. Just make sure you look into the "black flash" models... The white flash models go off like a conventional camera.... If you have a "regular" one - put it way up high out if the reach of teenagers....


Also a good idea. Luckily I'm off a curvy, hilly gravel road. And I do mean gravel, not dirt, so people drive respectfully slow. Well, except for the ahole with the rhd civic that sounds like a pissed off bumblebee

Chase Mueller
04-13-2018, 3:21 PM
maybe this mailbox will have them second guessing their actions.

383749
i need this

Perry Hilbert Jr
04-13-2018, 4:02 PM
There was a case near Lancaster PA about 30 years ago. Kids driving down a country road bashing mail boxes. One home owner had enough and placed a cinder block in his mail box. The kid hanging pout thhe ffront passenger window swung the bat at the mail box, but the bat bounced off the extra heavy mail box and through the open back window where it killed the rear passenger. The home owner was chargeed with some form of negligent homicide and after thousands in attorney fees he plead to some lesser charge. and got a suspended sentence andd whopper big fine. His home owners endeed up paying the kids estate a big settlement. There was indeed a big stink over it. 18 years ago, I had problems with somebody knocking over my trash every week. I put the trash can out Wdnesday nite anndd by thursday morning it was knocked all over with trash spewn everywhere. Well, even putting the can back ten feet off the road did not help. (I live a half mile back off the road and can't see the driveway where it intersects with the road. So I filled a metal trash can with firewood. and placed it out there. Some one hit it and knocked it over. But I noticed the teenager up the street had a massively destroyed passenger front end. Head light busted out etc. Never had a trash can problem again. Although one day, I was working replacing the mail box post and the kids truck went down the street with no one in it. It crashed into a neighbor's car. Ignition was on, engine running and nobody in it. We are a good 1/4 mile down the street from his parent's house.

Kev Williams
04-13-2018, 5:50 PM
Chase- Go to Home Depot and pick up enough solid firebricks to fill your mailbox with them. Leave just enough room for the junk mail ;)
Pretty sure there's no law against that... HOA won't know about it... only you, the mailperson, and the kid with the broken ar.... uhh, bat.

(I got NO sympathy for vandalizers)

Frederick Skelly
04-13-2018, 5:50 PM
Chase, I say this with a wiseguy smile on my face, so please take this as a joke of sorts......
But I've gotten the impression from your earlier posts that you were a bit of a hellraiser yourself, not that many years ago. Could them goofing with you be a karma thing? :D :D :D

Fred

P.S. It still stinks to have to deal with it. I get it.

John K Jordan
04-13-2018, 5:54 PM
... Could them goofing with you be a karma thing? :D :D :D


Every time I hear the word "kerma" used I can't help remembering a bumper sticker I saw once in Oak Ridge, proclaiming: My karma just ran over your dogma
:)

Frederick Skelly
04-13-2018, 6:25 PM
Every time I hear the word "kerma" used I can't help remembering a bumper sticker I saw once in Oak Ridge, proclaiming: My karma just ran over your dogma
:)

Ive seen that one too John! :)

Jim Becker
04-13-2018, 8:36 PM
Maybe it was a Karman Ghia... :D

Ole Anderson
04-13-2018, 8:42 PM
I have seen boxes with strips of wood on the exterior for reinforcement against bats. White oak strips about 3/4" thick ought to do it. And I have seen boxes made out of heavier steel. If it is just kids, they will move on to the next box that doesn't make their hands ring when they whack it with a bat. My mailbox (a triple as three neighbors share it) currently has a spliced 4x4 post as we get folks taking the corner too fast and sliding into it in the winter. Stupid but not intentional.

Ole Anderson
04-13-2018, 8:45 PM
Practically every house in my neighborhood has a stone or brick structure housing the mailbox. I'll post a picture or two later.

Mike

[Here are a few of the "protected" mailboxes in my neighborhood.}
383745 383744 383746

And at least a third of those we have in an adjoining neighborhood have been hit. Now that is an expensive mess to fix.

Phil Mueller
04-13-2018, 9:26 PM
Well, I’m on my third mailbox in about 20 years. To be honest, it still makes me laugh. Reminds me of my youth. With all due regrets, I must admit I am still ahead. I’m afraid it’s going to take a few more before I can call it even.

Jim Becker
04-13-2018, 9:56 PM
I have a very heavy steel, oversize mailbox that's been mowed down by vehicles twice. Not a dent. Can't say the same for the wood posts, however. LOL Unfortunately, the door is rusting now after about a decade and a replacement mailbox is, um...not inexpensive. I may see if I can fabricate a new door out of aluminum once I get a feel for the CNC thing...

Yonak Hawkins
04-13-2018, 10:42 PM
Chase, you could try for "hardship delivery" to your house or relocate the box close to your house. Contact the local postmaster and explain the situation and remove the offended mailbox altogether.

Dan Hunkele
04-14-2018, 8:46 AM
A friend of my dads had the problem. His solution was to take the mailbox out and set it on the post on his way to work in the morning and retrieve the whole box after the mal arrived.

Art Mann
04-14-2018, 9:10 AM
At least half the houses in my neighborhood look similar to those in Mike Henderson's post. There is absolutely no Federal law that prevents people from building heavily reinforced mail boxes. At least one of the reasons that the nation is so plagued by vandalism and property destruction is that people are not forced to suffer the consequences of their foolish actions. I have no pity on vandals, regardless of age.

Malcolm Schweizer
04-14-2018, 9:50 AM
Buy one of the larger package mailboxes and a standard sized mailbox. Put the smaller one inside the larger one and fill the void with concrete. To heck with all the worry for the poor vandal. Let him break an arm. I bet it will be the last mailbox he ever hits.

Mike Henderson
04-14-2018, 10:38 AM
And at least a third of those we have in an adjoining neighborhood have been hit. Now that is an expensive mess to fix.

I saw one of these mailbox posts (see post 19 for pictures) the other day tilted over and with automobile parts at the base (parts of a front bumper and a few other things). Later, I happened to talk with the woman who lives there. She said that it was difficult to find someone who would take on the job of straightening the post (because of the weight of the post) and re-setting it in the ground but she did find someone and they did a good job. The post was not damaged except for a few scuff marks.

I'm sure it cost the owner of the car quite a bit more to repair the car. Neither of us believed the driver hit the post intentionally.

Mike

Brian Elfert
04-14-2018, 5:12 PM
I generally agree with you, but this isn't the right hill to die on. I know it's frustrating, but replacing your mailbox now and then is just not that big of a deal.

Why should a homeowner just be expected to roll over and potentially spend hundreds of dollars per year replacing mail boxes so they can receive mail? If the same kids were also knocking out the windows of cars would you just tell the car owner that it is an expected thing and to just keep replacing the car window over and over again?

Brian Elfert
04-14-2018, 5:19 PM
Why is it okay for highway departments to place massive bridge piers at the edge of a road, but a reinforced mail box is a liability issue. I doubt too many people win liability cases against the highway department.

There is a local interstate with a bridge pier built partly into the shoulder. The bad part is the pier is shortly after the the end of an entrance ramp. If you can't merge into traffic for some reason and continue down the shoulder you run a large risk of hitting that bridge pier. No new bridges would ever be built that way because it isn't considered a safe design.

Ole Anderson
04-14-2018, 5:25 PM
Why is it okay for highway departments to place massive bridge piers at the edge of a road, but a reinforced mail box is a liability issue. I doubt too many people win liability cases against the highway department.

There is a local interstate with a bridge pier built partly into the shoulder. The bad part is the pier is shortly after the the end of an entrance ramp. If you can't merge into traffic for some reason and continue down the shoulder you run a large risk of hitting that bridge pier. No new bridges would ever be built that way because it isn't considered a safe design.

Any bridge pier (or anything else substantial like a concrete lightpole base) within striking distance will have a guardrail for exactly that reason.

Brian Elfert
04-14-2018, 6:26 PM
Any bridge pier (or anything else substantial like a concrete lightpole base) within striking distance will have a guardrail for exactly that reason.

And hitting a guard rail is going to be a pleasant experience? I guess it is better than a bridge pier.

I actually hit a metal guard rail mounted to the side a bridge about six years in my converted bus. I think they had attached metal guard rail to the side because the bridge was old. The bridge was down to one very narrow lane and I misjudged how much room I had on the right side. I was damn lucky that the only damage to the bus was a scratch down the side and the tag wheel was knocked out of alignment. The studs on the tag wheel made one heck of a racket against the metal guard rail.

Keith Outten
04-15-2018, 6:07 PM
I wonder if anyone ever filled a balloon with paint and placed it inside a mailbox leaving the door ajar just a little bit. I expect the paint would hurt someones feelings and it might be nasty to get off a car. If its Daddy's car or truck he might get upset.

I guess a water balloon would also be a deterrent.

Frederick Skelly
04-15-2018, 6:10 PM
I wonder if anyone ever filled a balloon with paint and placed it inside a mailbox leaving the door ajar just a little bit. I expect the paint would hurt someones feelings and it might be nasty to get off a car. If its Daddy's car or truck he might get upset.

Very, very clever idea. :D

Peter Kelly
04-15-2018, 7:13 PM
Forgo the mailbox and get a PO box instead?

Brian Elfert
04-15-2018, 8:24 PM
Forgo the mailbox and get a PO box instead?

So, instead of being able to deal with vandals the answer is to spend several hundred dollars a year on a PO box and then have to drive over there to pick up mail regularly? Luckily, I don't have a mailbox issue, but my nearest Post Office is a 20 mile round trip. It would suck having to make that trip regularly just to avoid issues with vandals. I would have to wait a week to get any packages since that is the only time I could get there during business hours.

Clarence Martinn
04-15-2018, 9:18 PM
Kids used to raid my Garden the first year I put the Garden in. Always seemed to be the night before I was ready to pick the Corn, Peppers or Tomatoes. they would mysteriously disappear ! Neighbor kids were jumping my fence in the night and raiding MY GARDEN !!! I put a stop to that , by putting an electric fence around the perimeter of my Garden! Not one Vegetable was stolen out of my Garden after that !!

Mike Henderson
04-15-2018, 11:44 PM
I wonder if anyone ever filled a balloon with paint and placed it inside a mailbox leaving the door ajar just a little bit. I expect the paint would hurt someones feelings and it might be nasty to get off a car. If its Daddy's car or truck he might get upset.

I guess a water balloon would also be a deterrent.

Serious question - how do you fill a balloon with paint? Seems like you'd have to have some device to inject the paint into the balloon since you have to put enough pressure to expand the balloon. Or is there some technique I'm missing?

Mike

Lee Schierer
04-16-2018, 8:02 AM
Serious question - how do you fill a balloon with paint? Seems like you'd have to have some device to inject the paint into the balloon since you have to put enough pressure to expand the balloon. Or is there some technique I'm missing?

Mike

I would use a funnel. The paint should be heavy enough to expand the balloon.

Chase Mueller
04-16-2018, 8:25 AM
Chase, I say this with a wiseguy smile on my face, so please take this as a joke of sorts......
But I've gotten the impression from your earlier posts that you were a bit of a hellraiser yourself, not that many years ago. Could them goofing with you be a karma thing? :D :D :D

Fred


P.S. It still stinks to have to deal with it. I get it.


I will neither confirm nor deny :D
I never destroyed a mailbox though, that I can swear!:p

Chase Mueller
04-16-2018, 8:29 AM
I wonder if anyone ever filled a balloon with paint and placed it inside a mailbox leaving the door ajar just a little bit. I expect the paint would hurt someones feelings and it might be nasty to get off a car. If its Daddy's car or truck he might get upset.

I guess a water balloon would also be a deterrent.

I like where your head is

Chase Mueller
04-16-2018, 8:40 AM
Thanks for all the advice, everyone! Some great things to consider, and plenty of stuff to laugh at here, and I have an update for everyone!
I got bored one night so my lovely SO and I sat on the porch in the dark enjoying a beverage, that's when I saw it.. And I have to admit, I now feel bad for assuming it was a punk. It was my neighbor. In his big ol' yee-yee truck. Backing into my mailbox. Literally watched it happen. I immediately ran up and waved him down, he explained he works night shifts and "can barely see my mailbox". I don't know how you can repeatedly do the same thing and expect a different result(insanity?). Said he planned on fixing it when he gets back but "it's already fixed by the time he gets home, so no harm was done, right?" Wrong. Gave him a dollar amount for what I've paid, he wrote me a check. I swear to god, if it bounces or something, this means war. War I tell you!
Folks, if ya can't drive a big yee-yee truck, don't buy a big yee-yee truck.

John K Jordan
04-16-2018, 9:00 AM
Serious question - how do you fill a balloon with paint? Seems like you'd have to have some device to inject the paint into the balloon since you have to put enough pressure to expand the balloon. Or is there some technique I'm missing?


At the risk of giving juvenile delinquents with water balloon launchers more ideas (perhaps not many reading a woodworking forum!) you can get a huge syringe from a vet or a farm store and force nearly any liquid or gel into any cavity. We use them for administering medications and dewormers. A drench gun (search amazon) is even better.

A red dye such might splatter nicely. I remember in college some guys drilled a peep hole between the boys and girls shower rooms in the pool building. A friend told me she waited until she saw an eye at the hole then shot some red dye through the hole with a squirt gun. Then the girls ran around to see who came out with a red face.

Maybe tape a MSDS sheet on the mailbox that they can stop and read if they want. Don't forget to get up early and clear out the box before the carrier gets there!

Hey, what about those steel drive-up mail drop boxes the post office puts up? They look pretty sturdy and must already be approved by the USPS. I'd like one facing away from the road that I can fill with years worth of junk mail.

JKJ

Chase Mueller
04-16-2018, 9:07 AM
Don't worry, there's still plenty of other things to fill a balloon with. My child of an uncle once showed a very impressionable 8 years old (me) how to fill a balloon with Mayonaise and hot sauce. Then how to best throw it at a group of college kids without being seen. Of course, wouldn't expect anything less from a darn Floridian. Only joking about Floridian expectations of course. Well, half joking :D

Keith Outten
04-16-2018, 9:54 AM
As Mike suggested I would fill the balloon with a funnel. It would not take a lot of paint to get the job done probably just a few teaspoons then use your air compressor to fill the balloon. When it bursts the balloon will spread the paint out in every direction efficiently. If the post man sees the mess the next day blame it on the kids, they put the balloon in your mailbox :)

Ole Anderson
04-17-2018, 1:53 AM
And hitting a guard rail is going to be a pleasant experience? I guess it is better than a bridge pier.

I actually hit a metal guard rail mounted to the side a bridge about six years in my converted bus. I think they had attached metal guard rail to the side because the bridge was old. The bridge was down to one very narrow lane and I misjudged how much room I had on the right side. I was damn lucky that the only damage to the bus was a scratch down the side and the tag wheel was knocked out of alignment. The studs on the tag wheel made one heck of a racket against the metal guard rail.

My son fell asleep in the afternoon on the way home from a job as an ironworker while in the left lane of northbound lane of I-75 in MI doing at least 75 mph in his Ranger. Ran into the median and without a properly designed guard rail he would have hit a concrete foundation for a big overhead sign and likely gotten killed. As it was, he hit the nose of the guardrail that protected both directions of traffic. Totaled the truck, even broke the wheels, but he walked away with a few stitches in his lip. No air bags, but he was listening when I told him to never drive without a seat belt.

Ole Anderson
04-17-2018, 1:57 AM
It was my neighbor. In his big ol' yee-yee truck.
Folks, if ya can't drive a big yee-yee truck, don't buy a big yee-yee truck. What the heck is a yee-yee truck???

Chase Mueller
04-17-2018, 8:31 AM
What the heck is a yee-yee truck???

Hahaha, it's a term I "coined" in college. I'm sure I wasn't the very first to say it, but the only person I know who does.
Basically, a yee-yee truck is one of those big four-wheel-drive trucks, usually a Dodge/Chevy/Ford, that is lifted with huge tires, unnecessarily large exhaust tips, light bars, and stupid decals like "Salt Life", when you know damn good and well that truck has never been off road, let alone to the ocean or swamps. And to tie it all together, a driver who clearly doesn't know the dimensions of their own vehicle. I use this term a lot when I see big trucks failing miserably at parking and maintaining their lane.

John K Jordan
04-17-2018, 9:04 AM
So great, the mailbox problem is solved. Except for your task of running power for a bright light above the mailbox. Or just move the mailbox down the property a bit so it will be out of his way.

Rather than engage in war with a neighbor (to be avoided at ALL cost), even if I got a bad check I would consider it over. Eating the cost of replacing a mailbox or two seems like a blessing compared to the worry of roving bands of juvenile vandals or escalating hostilities from someone with possibly questionable judgement.


Hahaha, it's a term I "coined" in college. I'm sure I wasn't the very first to say it, but the only person I know who does.
Basically, a yee-yee truck is one of those big four-wheel-drive trucks, usually a Dodge/Chevy/Ford, that is lifted with huge tires, unnecessarily large exhaust tips, light bars, and stupid decals like "Salt Life", when you know damn good and well that truck has never been off road, let alone to the ocean or swamps. And to tie it all together, a driver who clearly doesn't know the dimensions of their own vehicle. I use this term a lot when I see big trucks failing miserably at parking and maintaining their lane.

Sometimes called a yee-haw truck or redneck limo or (lots of other terms). Don't see too many of those around here - most of us with bigger 4wd trucks need them on the farm for pulling things through mud and up wet grassy slopes, hauling hay and tractors and such. We use sensible tires, and decorate with dirt and dents instead of decals. However, I would like extra lights when working at night, though, especially lights I could aim towards the sides and back. And if you routinely haul an 18' goosneck trailer you quickly learn the dimensions involved!

JKJ

Chase Mueller
04-17-2018, 9:20 AM
Sometimes called a yee-haw truck or redneck limo or (lots of other terms). Don't see too many of those around here - most of us with bigger 4wd trucks need them on the farm for pulling things through mud and up wet grassy slopes, hauling hay and tractors and such. We use sensible tires, and decorate with dirt and dents instead of decals. However, I would like extra lights when working at night, though, especially lights I could aim towards the sides and back. And if you routinely haul an 18' goosneck trailer you quickly learn the dimensions involved!

JKJ


Exactly! I'm a car guy, I'm all for modifications, but if you're gonna mod it, use it. It hurts my soul seeing wranglers and trucks all done up to be pavement princess'.

Hopefully, there's no bad blood between us. We shook hands and haven't spoken since. I did redneck rig a light so he "should" see it now. I don't feel I had to, but he seemed truthful enough, and I know how busy lives can be, so I'm letting it go.
... Unless that check bounces. Then I'm done talking.

Andrew Pitonyak
04-17-2018, 4:31 PM
Couple of large rubber garbage cans filled with sand or water, and then attach a bike flag on top of your mail box to increase visibility.

Malcolm Schweizer
04-17-2018, 5:59 PM
As Mike suggested I would fill the balloon with a funnel. It would not take a lot of paint to get the job done probably just a few teaspoons then use your air compressor to fill the balloon. When it bursts the balloon will spread the paint out in every direction efficiently. If the post man sees the mess the next day blame it on the kids, they put the balloon in your mailbox :)

That's just downright sinister! (I love it!!!!)

Edwin Santos
04-17-2018, 7:06 PM
Serious question - how do you fill a balloon with paint? Seems like you'd have to have some device to inject the paint into the balloon since you have to put enough pressure to expand the balloon. Or is there some technique I'm missing?

Mike


I would use a funnel. The paint should be heavy enough to expand the balloon.


As Mike suggested I would fill the balloon with a funnel. It would not take a lot of paint to get the job done probably just a few teaspoons then use your air compressor to fill the balloon. When it bursts the balloon will spread the paint out in every direction efficiently. If the post man sees the mess the next day blame it on the kids, they put the balloon in your mailbox :)

What you're describing made a great scene in the movie "Scent of a Woman" where the dean and his Jaguar ended up covered in white paint. It was a pretty big balloon.

Wade Lippman
04-17-2018, 9:19 PM
Probably just snow plows. You have snow in Georgia?

Yonak Hawkins
04-17-2018, 10:11 PM
I'm familiar with those trucks here in Georgia. I watched a driver in one of those huge trucks, with humongous bumpers, who had no idea of its dimensions, at Home Depot scrape the side of a Lincoln while trying to park it last week. She left and moved to another part of the parking lot. Before she got into the store, the driver of the Lincoln came out and I was able to point out the offender, much to his relief.

Chase Mueller
04-18-2018, 8:22 AM
That's tough to answer Wade. The weather people say it's snow, and it probably is for the first day maybe, then it's all ice. Last time we had a "snowstorm" schools were closed for a week. We got less than 6 inches. It's kinda ridiculous how unprepared the state is. So no, no snow plows.
Also, I might add, the whole family is from Chicago, so I know what snow is :D

Chase Mueller
04-18-2018, 8:27 AM
Thank you for doing that! I've walked out to my car on 6 different occasions to see it scratched or dented up! Really grinds my gears.

John K Jordan
04-18-2018, 9:22 AM
I watched a driver in one of those huge trucks, ... scrape the side of a Lincoln while trying to park it last week. ...I was able to point out the offender.

I read of a person who bumped a car in a parking lot and got out and left a note on the windshield. The note said something to the effect of "Sorry I bumped your car. I'm leaving this note because people are watching. Have a nice day." Disclosure: I didn't see this myself so it might be a rumor or a joke.

JKJ

Chase Mueller
04-18-2018, 9:24 AM
I heard that too, but also saw a picture of the note attached to the car. Could have been staged, for whatever reason, but I wasn't given a reason to doubt it.

Bruce Wrenn
04-20-2018, 8:18 AM
At least one of the reasons that the nation is so plagued by vandalism and property destruction is that people are not forced to suffer the consequences of their foolish actions. I have no pity on vandals, regardless of age.As a kid, one of my neighbors, and his friends were caught bashing mail boxes. Judge gave them two choices, five years in Federal prison, or five years in military service (this was when we had a "draft") with honorable discharges. As for brick mail boxes, lady at our church whose son was a passenger in a car which struck one of those types of boxes. Car wasn't speeding, simply ran off road. Brick came thru windshield and struck him in forehead. Results were life long brain damage. Homeowner's insurance, along with home owners personally were held responsible for his inability to function in life. This was 50 years ago. I would think hard before putting up such a mail box

John K Jordan
04-20-2018, 9:26 AM
... This was 50 years ago. I would think hard before putting up such a mail box

I wonder when we'll be sued for not cutting down all the trees on our property.

Or having a non-collapsible house or shop hurt the poor driver who simply runs way off the road.

JKJ

Barry McFadden
04-20-2018, 10:34 AM
As a kid, one of my neighbors, and his friends were caught bashing mail boxes. Judge gave them two choices, five years in Federal prison, or five years in military service (this was when we had a "draft") with honorable discharges. As for brick mail boxes, lady at our church whose son was a passenger in a car which struck one of those types of boxes. Car wasn't speeding, simply ran off road. Brick came thru windshield and struck him in forehead. Results were life long brain damage. Homeowner's insurance, along with home owners personally were held responsible for his inability to function in life. This was 50 years ago. I would think hard before putting up such a mail box

The judge must have been on drugs...... people that commit crimes 100% worse than that including things like DUI and killing someone, don't get anywhere near that kind of sentence

Mike Henderson
04-20-2018, 2:42 PM
The judge must have been on drugs...... people that commit crimes 100% worse than that including things like DUI and killing someone) don't get anywhere near that kind of sentence

That's too much for kids being stupid. Paying for the repairs and community service would have been better.

Mike

Yonak Hawkins
04-20-2018, 4:21 PM
...caught bashing mail boxes ... five years in Federal prison....

That's too much for kids being stupid
That's for sure. All we need is crowding more non-violents in prisons.

anne watson
04-22-2018, 6:49 PM
Our mailboxes are at the end of the street cause the mailman can not get turned around by our house.
Had trouble with vandalism, went together with other neighbors and bought heavy duty ones set in cement
Still have problems. Since it is a federal offense to mess with mail, we now have a camera there mounted high enough
that kids can't reach it. The mailman knows we have been having problems so next time vandalism and pic will be reported. Getting tired of stuff other people do to other people.

Mike Ontko
04-26-2018, 10:35 AM
I generally agree with you, but this isn't the right hill to die on. I know it's frustrating, but replacing your mailbox now and then is just not that big of a deal.

I agree. Adding protective reinforcement that's visible only raises the bar for the little hoodlums, and encourages them to do it again. You could move to using a PO Box or have the Post Office hold your mail for a period of time (you'd have to pick it up there yourself), then simply leave the current box sitting, untouched and in its destructed state for that time--two or three months maybe--or until the Huns lose interest and move on to another neighborhood.

Kev Williams
04-26-2018, 2:09 PM
I don't remember many 'mailbox rules' from 50 years ago, and for that matter, even now, HOA rules notwithstanding. I can probably drive around for 20 minutes and get photos of over 100 'dangerous' mailboxes, at least as described in this thread.

For someone to be found personally responsible and for the other party to win damages in a lawsuit, negligence and/or willful intent to harm must be proven. Failure to control your automobile is negligent, building a brick mailbox post is not, and the only realistic way intent to harm could be proven is if law enforcement or neighbors were aware of past mailbox destruction problems with the person and of his desire 'to get even'; it was built as a booby trap...

But then there's those few judges...

Brandon Speaks
05-01-2018, 9:40 PM
Up here in MN some people who regularly loose mailboxes to snow plows make swing away mail boxes. Its mounted on a long pole with a cable spring that brings it back to position after being hit. Im sure a bat would still dent it up but not totally destroy it.

Anyway it sucks getting the mail box messed with, made me mad as heck in that same position. On the other hand filling it with bricks in a way that could kill a kid is just not worth it.

Rollie Meyers
05-06-2018, 11:43 PM
I set 6X6 square tube 3 feet in the ground for my mailboxes, after setting the post in concrete filled the tube also, someone did hit it & moved it a bit damaging one of the mailboxes, have no idea who did it but had to do some damage to their vehicle.

As to protection against mailbox bashing have heard of buying a extra large mailbox & putting a larger diameter section of PVC pipe then filling the void between the PVC pipe & the mailbox with concrete, anyone bashing the mailbox with a baseball bat will be in a rude surprise.