The last mailbox you'll ever need
In the Northeast and other snow-belt areas, it is not a good idea for your mailbox to be first in a line of other boxes along the edge of the street, facing oncoming traffic. The position is a sacrificial one because the first box gets hit by the snow, slush and sloppy ice chunks thrown by municipal snowplows. Also, I think I’m correct in assuming that my town’s is not unique in that we have roving cars full of pinhead teenagers, who do mailbox drive-bys with ball bats.
I’ve seen that lots of people rig up different types of snowplow-snow deflectors in front of their boxes every fall, but I’ve always thought that one ostensibly strong product shouldn’t need to be protected by another. (Pick-up-truck bed liners and luggage covers (even stupider) fall into the same category.) But now I’ve found Charlie Pierpaoli and his Armored Mail Vault, and my mailbox troubles are over.
The vault is a wedge-shaped powder-coated, heavy-gauge riveted steel mailbox that appears as though it will deflect anything that weather, snowplows and testosterone-and-domestic-beer-fueled teenagers can throw at it. I'm betting on it!
Other features include a magnetically held door at each end so you can get your mail from behind the box, rather than having to go out into the street and a spring-loaded flag on the vertical side. One the bottom, there’s a pre-drilled mounting bracket that fits over a 4x4. Four galvanized lag bolts are included. Charlie recommends setting the post in concrete, 32-inches in the ground.
I like the vault in forest green, but it is also available in white and back. It costs $275. The shopping cart on Charlie’s website is still underdevelopment, but there is other contact information if you want to get in touch with him about buying one.
The first snow storm is months away, but when I hear the rumble of the town plow, I’m going to run to the end of my driveway, pump my fist in the air and jump up and down as it passes, flinging its nasty barrage at my armored mail vault.
For more ideas, check out our post-mount mailbox gallery.
(8) Comments
Nice, but too pricy for me--especially since the kids with the baseball bats come through my neighborhood every summer.
NIce idea-but I also think it's too expensive. At $10 -$12 for a regular mailbox I can afford to replace the old style once every 5-6 years when it gets knocked over by the plow and still have money left over.( Some municipalities will replace or repair your box and post if their plows knock it down.)
Sorry, but the pole is the weakest link in this idea. And the wedge makes it top-heavy, making it even more vulnerable to the physics of slush being thrown up by the plows here in my town. Putting a wood pole into concrete also never works for long - it causes the bottom of the pole to rot quicker. As the photos show, this is a costly 'solution' only shorts-wearing, summertime city slickers believe will work well. Sorry, Charlie. We want mailboxes that have more than good taste.
Stupider? Try "dumber" or "more stupid." Too expensive and the wood post won't last. Pickup bed liners prevent rust which destroys more vehicles than anything else.
Stupider? Try "dumber" or "more stupid." Too expensive and the wood post won't last. Pickup bed liners prevent rust which destroys more vehicles than anything else.
Unfortunately, this is not the last mailbox you'll buy if you want to keep your mail secure. Mail theft and identity theft go hand in hand, and an unlocked roadside box is an open invitation to both. Regardless of its shape. Otherwise, it's pretty neat.
Sorry Charlie,
Your box looks to industrial for our country style living. It's way to expensive. The best solution is to install your box and post into an old milk can or pail so it's free standing and will just move out of way when the plows or kids try to knock it down. Another thought is the youngsters running into those nice sharp corners. Ouch...Maybe a little more homework is needed.
Correct about the wood post. I'm still looking for a better solution. Tried the pre-cut/packaged treated 4"x4" set into a plastic drum filled with sand so it would tip out of the way. Truck or maybe plow with a wing nailed it yesterday and destroyed the relatively new wood post. Mailbox, however, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It was custom made by a metal products company here in the midwest a good 20 years ago. Went for $100 and was made of welded heavy gauge steel and shaped like the standard rural mailbox. Plows, baseball bats, you name it. It scratches the powder coat but that's it.