Tink's Mom

Sorry, to hear that Skeat!
We had a neighbor that used to come home drunk all the time and when backing up his car to make the swing into the garage he kept hitting and knocking down the posts in my chain link fence.
After he paid for the repairs several times I decided to fill the posts with cement...lets just say, his car lost the next time.....
:D
I like the idea of the cement blocks, fill them with cement, then use a mount, like for a deck post, into the cement and attach the mailbox....it WILL HURT when they hit it!

amandasgramma

hmmmmm we have a rural mailbox....in the middle of a line of about 30. None of them have been hit like that. Pure luck I guess.

I wonder -- if you put a cement pillar on either side, with reflective tape on it, if that would stop the vandalism. The reflective tape can be seen, so they can't say you hid it. They've put those up next to some electrical box (size of a dog house) on a corner here. We've had 3 cars miss the corner and ram into it and knock the whole subdivision's electricity out for hours. They put up wooden pillars here. It's just an idea!

Sharon M

I live out in the country also and all of us out here had trouble for months. As soon as we replaced them they destroyed them. Threw mail all over the roads and fields. Sheriff would not do anything about it and neither would post office. Said we needed to catch it on video. Even though we saw it being done and gave them the license plate number and described the kids. We were told it was our word against theirs. So we set out at night with a camera and got it on video. They still wouldn't do anything. After 4 months and 5 mail boxes we changed tactics. We installed a steal post cemented into the ground, then totally covered at the base with dirt and grass. The top of the box was regulation size and looked plastic ...but....it was solid thick steal. It had the red flag on the side that you can raise up when you have mail to be picked up. The bottom was painted to look like aluminum the top portion was painted black with our address lettered on it. Then I set out for 2 nights with my camera and got it on video (for our use this time) and filmed it as they swung at it with a ball bat and broke their arm. Our mail box and all of our country neighbors mail boxes have been safe these last 4 years. True we were lucky that the kids didn't decide to do other damage after that but guess they figured it wasn't worth the risk fooling around with crazy people like us.

Skeat

Well, we did have excitement last night:)LOL DH went down after 10 to re-adjust the cameras and for the first time, before midnight they came while he was down there and put an arrow thru the box! To make a long story short, the sherriff did come out, took the arrow after he took many pictures, the description of the trucks (yes, there were 2) will be running not only fingerprints but dna...for real! Anywho..the one truck lives about the distance of about 4 city blocks from us. Can you believe that. They left later in 2 seperate cars down the road and the sherriff was waiting for them over the hill. We did not get the plates...dh was too far. So, that is where we sit...we moved the camera again, closer...which also, missed the pictures for I think dh set it off before they drove up. Obv. not a real smart bunch of cookies. Let's hope it quits now that they have the 'heat' on them and know we 'know'...I'd like to be quilting and have it in my mind only:)Skeat

*Who has been cracking up over the shared stories of how you solved the problem:)We've been thinking of putting a big box up, let it sit for awhile..take it down and put a smaller one in it w/concrete all the way around...so all they see would be the big box...which wouldn't have worked last night w/an arrow:)

tlrnhi

An arrow? AS IN BOW AND ARROW?
OMG! They could have gotten your hubby!!!!
That's scarey!
I know if my dad were still here, he'd be willing to "help" you out. He's a dead aim with a shotgun. Took him a FULL box of shotgun shells to get the raccoon out of the tree. lmao Yes, it was TOO funny! Poor tree was bare when dad was done and the raccoon ran down the tree on it's own.
Don't understand HOW he hit the guys tire on the dirtbike that night, but never touched the raccoon lol

Skeat

Yes, a real arrow from a bow! Real cute-huh?! And, yes, dh could have been hit too....think that is what got the sherriff's attention too. Good thing he's spry and quick for his age:)I'm hoping they scared the pooh out of themselves for bit. I need sleep:)

tlrnhi

OMG!
And I thought I had it bad with people trying to break into my house with me IN it!
Yup, I'm in my house and these idiots try breaking in. Can they NOT see the vehicles in the carport that they just entered? Idiot drug addicts! Hubby wants to get a gun, but the idea of that scares me with Courtney here. She'd hear a noise, get the gun and end up shooting me or hubby.

butterflywing

there was a thing on tv about that and the homeowners were held responsible for the kid's injuries, because they deliberately set those kids up. by knowing in advance what would happen.

butterflywing

that sounds like a greatidea. when we had the beach house, they would drive down the block and whack every mailbox along both sides of the street. in the morning, every box was lying on it's side. and you're all right. they have nothing else to do.

sandpat

Oh Skeat....we've been down this road before with you. We've done the lightweight just barely hanging on box so that when its hit..it flies easily with only minor damage. We just hoped the kids would grow up and find something else to do. My DH became an expert at mailbox repair.

We've been really lucky since moving here...our little road has so little traffic that we haven't been hit...yet. (I've probably just jinxed us)...But, a week ago we were babysitting our friends house/animals...and yup...their mailbox was run over...the truck bumper was still laying there..the mailbox thou....it just was pushed over. Seems the guy didn't dig a very deep hole and the entire thing just pushed over and the pole didn't even break...whoda' thunk about doin' that??