Some consider it an art. Some think it is fun.  Others find it a way to pass time.  But the victims of mailbox bashing consider it downright frustrating!  People who have had their mailboxes and posts repeatedly destroyed often find themselves thinking of ways they can cause their assailants bodily harm.  They set out on a quest to create an indestructible post or mailbox that will defy the efforts of the bashers.  I stumbled across a website that had some very unique and humorous solutions –check it out.

We set out to create a post system that would hold up to snow plows, but it also satisfies those looking for a solution to their vandal problems.  Put a Tuff Body mailbox on our post and you’ve got a pretty tough system.

Should you find yourself a victim of mailbox vandalism, you can submit a complaint to the USPS.  Any photos or video of the crime in progress would of course be helpful to local law enforcement.  Often, more than just your mailbox was damaged.  Mailbox vandals tend to target multiple boxes, many times along the same street.  Any clues you can provide to law enforcement will not only benefit you, but the other victims.

As you want to know how our RTC mailbox system has served us, I will share with you our experience of last winter.

Winter of 2009 was our first winter in our house. Our mailbox was hit by the township plow drivers 5 or 6 times during that winter. They'd hit the mailbox a couple of times and our repairs would be less and less successful each time. We replaced it twice during that time since we were unwilling to wait until the township came around and repaired all of the mailboxes it broke, an expense it endures every year.

Then we purchased the RTC system and eventually topped it off with a heavy-duty rural mailbox. Winter 2010-2011 was particularly brutal and we live on a mostly-straight stretch of road that folks drive way too fast on. Our mailbox is as far off the road as the post office allows- farther back and she won't deliver the mail, she says. Despite this, our mailbox has been hit an estimated 13 times since we installed the RTC system. A couple of times it's been hit with such force that I've had to climb through the neighbor's fence to retrieve the mailbox and the top part of the post from his cow pasture. But it's easy to pop that part back on the remaining post.

The box is a little bit dented at this point (understandably so) and I've occasionally had the perverse pleasure of throwing away what's left of someone's side-view mirror, but the box has survived and our mail service has never been interrupted.

There are few products out there which will receive such high accolades from me and I'm disinclined to take the time to write to the company that makes a product I've purchased, but the RTC system works so well that I've made an exception. We thought it was a little expensive when we decided to purchase it, but we hoped that it would permanently fix an on-going problem and we feel that it has done that and done it really well. Thank you for designing such a successful product. Considering the winter that is being forecasted, we expect it will get a good workout this year as well, but we expect to be one of the few houses on the street that will still be getting their mail.

Sincerely,
Betsy/Uniontown, OH

As I sit on my front porch soaking up the fresh country air, I listen to the soft sounds of the birds singing and the bees buzzing around my garden.  The silent wings of the butterflies as they flutter from flower to flower transfix me.  It has not always been so enjoyable.  Upon moving to the country, we found our “new” house surrounded by evergreen shrubs, Euonymus alatus, Euonymus fortuneii, and lots of green grass.  There was hardly anything there to attract wildlife to our yard. 

With much effort, we began to transform our landscape by removing most of the Taxus and Euonymus and some of the grass to make room for flower beds.  I have a passion for native plants and sought out a local nursery to help me find the best plants for my area.  I happily replaced the burning bush in my yard with spice bush, the Taxus with chokeberry and added a variety of species to fill in the empty spaces of the flower bed.  Over the course of several years, our landscape has filled with species such as virgin’s bower, phlox, daisies, blazing stars, wild indigo, wild geraniums, black eyed susans, Delphiniums, columbine, Gerardia, Indian grass, native bush honeysuckle and more.  I also found a fantastic wild mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) that the butterflies love. 

It is amazing the difference a few plants can make.  My yard seems alive with a variety of wildlife and I often think how amazing it is that these little creatures found it.  There is still a lot of work to do especially as I decide what to replace the ash trees with now that they are succumbing to the emerald ash borer.  I have realized that it is important to have a variety of different species.  I will see more wildlife that way and when faced with the next pest, I won’t have to worry about it wiping out every tree/plant in my yard. 

A great book to read: Bringing Nature Home, How you can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas Tallamy http://www.plantanative.com/

With native plants in my yard and a Return-to-Center Mailbox Post System at the road, my property has much curb appeal.  And not just for people driving by, but for those native wildlife looking for a place to recharge.

We are manufacturing a rotating mailbox post system designed to “get-out-of-the-way” when impacted.    Now we need to find a mailbox that can live up to our standards.  Although the standard (T-1) mailbox is fine for most homeowners, the more heavy duty Tuff Body or Ironside mailbox will perform better on the Return-to-Center Mailbox Post System.  The heavier mailboxes will not only make our system more vandal resistant, but will also keep the post from moving as often.  If you live in an area prone to heavy winds, you may want to try a heavy duty box to minimize the chance that the system will “blow in the wind.” I’ve watched our system blow to the side during storms, but it always returns to the road once everything settles down.

So far, we have been selling our system with a standard mailbox with the intention of providing our customers with the complete package while keeping the price low.  It has come to our attention that these standard mailboxes are not always holding up.  We’ve had a few complaints about the mailbox door flying open when the post swings around resulting in mail ending up on the ground.  What we need is a mailbox that will either lock or has some kind of a latch to hold the door shut tight.  We are looking at several options but welcome input from our customers.  Stay tuned for more details on our quest for the best mailbox……..

Depending on the type of soil you have, a person can generally install the Return-to-Center Mailbox Post System in less than 30-minutes.  It does take a little effort after you have worked it into the ground some.   As a woman, I found I had to put some muscle into it, but I was able to finish the job without too much effort.  We have successfully installed the system in soils ranging from hard clay to sand.  One problem we have encountered is in areas where you do not have 2 ft. of soil to work with before you hit solid rock.  In that case, it is necessary to find an alternate location for your system.  It is also difficult if you have a hard frost layer.  You may need to break through that first before you install the system.

What makes the Return-to-Center system different from the rest of the mailbox post systems on the market today?  Other “no dig” systems require you to pound them into the ground with a sledge hammer or mallet.  Our system has an auger on the bottom so you simply screw it into the ground.  There is much less resistance resulting in less effort for you.

Many people prefer to place their mailbox on top of a wood post.  Using 2 x 4’s or 4 x 4’s requires the use of saws and cutting to get the post the correct size. Then you have to dig the hole with a shovel or post hole digger.  Many people add cement around these posts as well.  All in all, this is a labor and time intensive installation.  How frustrating to go through all that only to have the snowplow come by and knock it right over!

Not only will our system take you less time to install, it’s going to save you time and money for years to come. 

I’m happy to have another product to offer that is designed to make your life easier.  Whether you live on a busy street, have a long driveway to walk on or simply don’t want to make a wasted trip to your mailbox, this is the product for you.  When you see the yellow flag in the upright position, you know your mail had arrived!

Rust free, all aluminum construction with stainless steel hardware.  No springs, cords or chains to break.  If the mailbox door is opened, the Mail Call flag goes up.  It’s as simple as that.

See the February 2011 issue of Reader's Digest to find information on how to "Snowplow-proof your mailbox."  The Return-to-Center Mailbox Post System is listed as one of those able to withstand the plow (and "baseball-bat-wielding, beer-swilling teens"). 

You can also find information on things your mail carrier won't tell you that include saving money when you mail magazines, manuscripts, DVDs and CDs by sending them via Media Mail at the Post Office.  For more information, visit readersdigest.com/mailcarrier

We are being teased with little snippets of spring here in Ohio.  It has been a very long, snowy winter!  As a result of the tireless snowplows pushing the snow off of our roads, there are so many mailbox posts that have been demolished around here.  Many of these people have already replaced their post at least once this winter and some (I hear) have replaced it more than once.   I hope we are able to get the word out to people about our rotating post system that is designed to get out of the way of snowplows.  Snowplow proof? It can certainly take a beating and still stand strong.

Welcome spring!  I look forward to the end of these long, gray days of an Ohio winter.