Mounting this mail box

I have a wall mount mail box (Janzer), 21.5" H X 8.5" W X 8.5" W, pretty heavy galvanized steel. I made a mistake and assumed I can remove the curb side beat up mail box and mount near the door, and the mail man told me no no no it has to be curb side.

So now I have to find a post for it.

This is not exactly the right model, but it looks like this, and has two holes in the back for mounting.

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I was going to use a 4x4 pressure treated wood, and paint it black (box itself is black), dig a hole 18" to 24" and pour in some concrete to secure at base.

But this contemporary box with 4x4 will look a little odd. I think.

So, I started to wonder about those galvanized steel fence posts. Suppose I get one of those and mount the box on it instead, that will look better, I think. The only question is:

(1) How I mount the box. With wood I can drill a hole all the way through the 4x4 and secure with a long bolt on the other side. With a tubular post, how will this work? I will need to drill two sets of holes right? One hole for a short bolt, and the washer will be on the inside wall of the mail box. But I need to somehow get to the bolt from the post side, to hold it, to pass it through. I don't think a toggle bolt will be strong enough for this application.

(2) Since the post is rounded, after mounting, the mail box will be attached by two bolts. this roundness probably will cause extra stress to the bolt, or the hole on the post. Will this be strong enough to hold the box, which I think it's about 3 to 4 pounds without mail.

(3) Drilling holes on rounded pipe - I remember previously I had trouble drilling holes on galvanized steel surfaces, I was using standard metal bits. May not be the right ones? Those had trouble breaking into the steel, now, I am talking about a ROUNDED galvanized steel surface, this will be worse. How can I drill two nice holes on a galvanized pole 2-5/8 in diameter? What bit should I use and how do I drill on a non-flat surface.

(4) With 4x4 I need to dig 18" to 24" and pour concrete. Do I need to for the metal post? I can pound it much deeper (I hope), is there still a need to have concrete?

(5) I will need to paint this black. I never tried painting on galvanized steel. I guess it wouldn't be easy. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

MC

Reply to
miamicuse
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By the way, I also need to cut this post I suppose. I only have a compound miter saw with wood blades. How do I cut a galvanized steel fence post to length?

Thanks,

MC

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Reply to
miamicuse

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Your hardware store should have some stakes used for fence posts and mailbox stands. These are designed to provide a foot for a 4x4. You use a small piece of 4x4 and a sledge hammer to sink them in the ground. They go down about 2 feet.

Reply to
William W. Plummer

Be sure this is still an acceptable mailbox for curbside. Post officeis fussy about things like that.

You can buy long bolts that would easily pass through the post.

In the downward plane, yes. If you are suject to snow plows tossing snow at it, questionable, but still probably better than the larger surface area or traidional boxes.

Drill press makes it much easier and more controllable. Have a friend with one? Neighbor? Worth asking around.

Depends on the soil, but will probably hold fairly well.

There is a primer for galvanized. Then normal paint over it.

Is the round shape more important than the square? Or is it a question of metal versus wood? You can buy square metal tubing that would adress some of your concerns with drilling and mounting strength.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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I would get some U bolts and drill new holes in the back of the box, one at the top and one at the bottom. You wouldn't have to drill the post at all.

Thats why I would use U bolts.

Same depth for the post, whether pounded in or dug and concreted.

Use primer for galvanized materials and metal paint.

Cut the post with a hack saw or sawsall.

Before you do any of that, you had better contact the Post Office and find out if they will deliver mail to that box.

Reply to
Robert Allison

Why don't you just take it back and get the kind you need? DOH

Reply to
Kathy

the Post

that box.

And while you are talking to them get the rules for where you plant the mailbox and how high it is. There is a rule for distance to the street from the mailbox.

Reply to
Kathy

Not that easy. Got it special ordered, cost me $125 for that box, and it's hard to find one I like.

Reply to
miamicuse

So what were you expecting, that the mailman would park his car and run up to your door to deliver your mail?

It's questionable that the USPS will even accept this style mailbox as a curb-side box. Hopefully you can return it and get a box that is acceptable to them, or plan to be making trips to the post office to pick up your mail!

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Reply to
mwlogs

Well on our street, some home owners have curb side mail boxes and some have wall mounted mail boxes. The mail man walks to the door and drops off the mail to the wall mounted ones and drives up to the curb side ones. What I did not know, is that once you switched to curb side (used to be all wall mounts) you cannot go back.

These mail boxes do come in post mounted versions. The one I have looks just the same, but smaller in size. Like below:

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MC

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Reply to
miamicuse

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3.2 Curbside Mailboxes 3.2.1 Manufacturer Specifications Manufacturers of all mailboxes designed and made to be erected at the edge of a roadway or curbside of a street and to be served by a carrier from a vehicle on any city route, rural route, or highway contract route must obtain approval of their products under USPS Standard 7, Mailboxes, City and Rural Curbside. To receive these construction standards and drawings or other information about the manufacture of curbside mailboxes, write to USPS Engineering (see 608.8.0 for address). [D041.2.1]

3.2.2 Custom-Built Mailbox The local postmaster may approve a curbside mailbox constructed by a customer who, for aesthetic or other reasons, does not want to use an approved manufactured box. The custom-built box must generally meet the same standards as approved manufactured boxes for flag, size, strength, and quality of construction. [D041.2.2]

3.2.3 Locked Box A mailbox with a lock must have a slot that is large enough to accommodate the customer's normal daily mail volume. The USPS neither opens a locked box nor accepts a key for this purpose. [D041.2.9]

3.2.4 Mailbox Post The post or other support for a curbside mailbox must be neat and of adequate strength and size. The post may not represent effigies or caricatures that tend to disparage or ridicule any person. The box may be attached to a fixed or movable arm. [D041.2.6]

3.2.5 Advertising Any advertising on a mailbox or its support is prohibited. [D041.2.5]

3.2.6 Location Subject to state laws and regulations, a curbside mailbox must be placed to allow safe and convenient delivery by carriers without leaving their vehicles. The box must be on the right-hand side of the road in the direction of travel of the carriers on any new rural route or highway contract route, in all cases where traffic conditions are dangerous for the carriers to drive to the left to reach the box, or where their doing so would violate traffic

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

"Kathy" wrote> Why don't you just take it back and get the kind

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Exactly what I was thinking.

Reply to
Bonnie

not so easy. Special ordered item not refundable. Plus, I will have to look for a curb side one I like, most of these custom ordered ones are not changeable.

Reply to
miamicuse

Does it have to be mounted on a post? Is it acceptable to build curbside a decorative brick/house decor gatepost/pillar to enclose your mailbox ?

Reply to
PaPaPeng

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