Wintertime Whack-A-Mole: Rural Mail Delivery Woes

YamadudeXS650C

YamadudeXS650C

Central New York XS650
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Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one falling victim to the faceless snowplows roaring through the neighborhood late at night.

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My neighbor's box never gets hit, but his is much cooler than mine, and I can't imagine what would happen if a plow blade hit that 4" steel support tubing.

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My box got hit and knocked over maybe 3 or 4 times each winter, and I'd have to reset the post each time. So, a few years ago I constructed a tripod made of scrap lumber (expendable) so that if it got hit, it would just be thrown into the ditch, and I'd only have to retrieve it.

Added bash panels made of sacrificial plywood blocks which the plows would hit and eventually knock off, but the mailbox would generally be spared.

Found the whole unit about 20 feet off in the ditch a few days ago, and the box got bent up a good deal. I'm wondering if, now that the drivers know my box is a whack-a-mole that quickly pops back up again once hit, that maybe it has become a game to relieve their boredom.

Today I made a bash panel made of wood and a double thickness chunk of tractor-trailer rubber mudflap.

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Added a fluorescent pom pom to help with the visuals:

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Not sure if last year's addition of intimidating garage art has helped at all.

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At the last minute I attached one more appendage.

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This has got to work.
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Well doubt all that would help at our house!

Ours has been hit three times already this winter, and I don't count the time it was just pushed over by the snow coming off the wing! Or the two times it was hit by cars during good weather with no snow involved!

Ours is mounted on a post cemented in an old milk can, when to that style back in the late 1970's after post got snapped off. There is only about a foot of dirt on top of bed rock so digging a post hole is a challenge. Nice thing about the free standing design is 50% of the time all I need to stand it back up in the morning.

For the past several years I have kept a spare box in the garage so if the can and post are not damaged too much it's a quick job to swap bent box for spare. Then the bent one is taken to the garage and beat back into shape. I actually made up a form to use to reshape the front.

Last year was so bad I finally had to give up on one as it was too far gone to repair. Wife called the county DPW who plows the road and the dropped off a nice new box the next day. That one has already gone through the "Mail Box Repair Shop" at least twice!

Just waiting for a car to get the mail box this winter, from tracks in snow twice in the last week cars have got off pavement close to our mail box. And if you are thinking, "This guy must live on some sharp curve in the road for all this." Well I'm going to attach a Google earth view of the property. Oh! Note the red arrow pointing to hole in hedge, yea a car went through there a couple years ago! I should write a book on the number of times we have had cars in the shallow ditch or front yard. I was talking to a sheriff or trooper after one of these times and he said he'd think about parking near by but decided it would be too dangerous!

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kshansen said:
Well doubt all that would help at our house!

Ours has been hit three times already this winter, and I don't count the time it was just pushed over by the snow coming off the wing! Or the two times it was hit by cars during good weather with no snow involved!

Ours is mounted on a post cemented in an old milk can, when to that style back in the late 1970's after post got snapped off. There is only about a foot of dirt on top of bed rock so digging a post hole is a challenge. Nice thing about the free standing design is 50% of the time all I need to stand it back up in the morning.

For the past several years I have kept a spare box in the garage so if the can and post are not damaged too much it's a quick job to swap bent box for spare. Then the bent one is taken to the garage and beat back into shape. I actually made up a form to use to reshape the front.

Last year was so bad I finally had to give up on one as it was too far gone to repair. Wife called the county DPW who plows the road and the dropped off a nice new box the next day. That one has already gone through the "Mail Box Repair Shop" at least twice!

Just waiting for a car to get the mail box this winter, from tracks in snow twice in the last week cars have got off pavement close to our mail box. And if you are thinking, "This guy must live on some sharp curve in the road for all this." Well I'm going to attach a Google earth view of the property. Oh! Note the red arrow pointing to hole in hedge, yea a car went through there a couple years ago! I should write a book on the number of times we have had cars in the shallow ditch or front yard. I was talking to a sheriff or trooper after one of these times and he said he'd think about parking near by but decided it would be too dangerous!

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I love the old milk can idea, Ken ! ..I wonder how many folks even know what that looks like.
And I'll bet you are the first site member to think of posting a satellite photo of his vicinity...:)
 
YamadudeXS650C said:
I love the old milk can idea, Ken ! ..I wonder how many folks even know what that looks like.
And I'll bet you are the first site member to think of posting a satellite photo of his vicinity...:)
Click to expand...

Might have been a mistake now I'll have to worry about coming home to find all the Yamahas gone, time to clean the 12ga. just in case.

Well at least everyone should know there is this vicious watch dog on duty!

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Dude,
Your mailbox seems to be set pretty far off of the road, I wonder how it keeps getting hit?
 
kshansen said:
Might have been a mistake now I'll have to worry about coming home to find all the Yamahas gone, time to clean the 12ga. just in case.

Well at least everyone should know there is this vicious watch dog on duty!

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If you ever have any trouble, just send me a p.m. and I'll come over with my Ruger to help out.......these guns are supposed to be shot once in awhile.......:D
 
Mailman said:
Dude,
Your mailbox seems to be set pretty far off of the road, I wonder how it keeps getting hit?
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Yup, you said it, Bob. Thats exactly what I've been thinkin'......
If I set it any farther off the road, the mailman will run a tire into the ditch.
 
Mailman said:
Dude,
Your mailbox seems to be set pretty far off of the road, I wonder how it keeps getting hit?
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....and I pay my taxes on time
...and I keep my house painted nice,
.....and I dont complain to the county much,
....and I dont play loud rock music past 1 am.
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Yes Bob - I believe it is time that you experience the full glory of the weather that your fine nation has to offer - instead of the steady stream of temperate days of sunshine and pleasant temperatures to which you subject yourself. :lmao:

....you can then travel back to AZ during the summer when things become nice here!

Pete
 
robinc said:
I think a road trip, site inspection from a 'certified' mailman is warranted in this case Bob.
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Uh.....maybe in the summer, when some of those country cafes are open and the smell of fresh baked pies are in the air! It's much too cold for a desert dweller such as myself. My dingus might freeze and crack right off!
 
MaxPete said:
Yes Bob - I believe it is time that you experience the full glory of the weather that your fine nation has to offer - instead of the steady stream of temperate days of sunshine and pleasant temperatures to which you subject yourself. :lmao:

....you can then travel back to AZ during the summer when things become nice here!

Pete
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Yes !
A visit to the North should be in the long term plan, Bob...:)
The local USPS Postmaster is a sorta friend of mine; I'll discuss your potential visit/inspection with her soon...............
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robinc said:
I think a road trip, site inspection from a 'certified' mailman is warranted in this case Bob.
Click to expand...
"Certified" and a Postal Worker in the same sentence, not sure that is a good idea to invite him in to our neighborhood! But then he does like XS650's so he's probably as sane as the rest of us. :laughing:
 
kshansen said:
Dang! If not for that dog bed I would have thought that was our Miss Libby!

Is your dog also retired Greyhound? Hard to be sure of breed with it curled up like a cat in a ball!
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Yes, retired Greyhound. Our girl passed away 2 years ago, but made quite an impression on us. Your girl reminded me of Justice (It's Vindicated). Beautiful dog.
 
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