How would you repair this concrete mailbox post?

[Loose Ctrl]

Before you say replace it, here's why I want to keep it. My grandfather got out of the Army after WWII. He built several houses with his brother-in-law in our neighbor hood. The first one sold to my great aunt and uncle. The second one was my uncle that helped my grandfather build the first house and subsequent houses. After every house he built in our neighbor hood, he set a concrete mailbox post. The last house he built before he quit building houses, and started doing finish work, was his own. That house is mine. When he set that last concrete mailbox post, and moved in, he was finally home.That was in 1954. He passed in 1967 from health complications of being in the Army and fighting on the front lines. I want to save this mailbox post. All the others have since been destroyed by nature, like trees falling on them, or by people hitting them. My neighborhood is small with very tight turns on and off our roads. A lot of big trucks try to come through and ended up running some of them over. The one I'm dealing with was backed over my an illegal immigrant running from the cops.I really want to save this old concrete post. It's the last one. I'm thinking about building a form around and pouring a collar around it about 12 inches above the break and about that deep into the ground. I'll add hardware cloth as a reinforcing material and added in milled fibers to help hold it's strength. How would you guys save this post? I have to have it done by tomorrow evening. My son leaves out for work the next day at 4 am. He's the only help I have right now.

 

[billconner]

I think your plan will work fine but I might attach steel plates to the sides - maybe a foot up - and set those in a concrete base. Better if some deformation in the plates or some rebar welded to it. Even drilled holes and bolts.

Not sure but you might be able to drill and epoxy rebar into post and just set that in new concrete base.

 

[Shiftless]

building a form around and pouring a collar around it about 12 inches above the break and about that deep into the ground.

That should be fine. Are there any local regulations about mounting mailboxes near the road and the breakaway situation? If not, go right ahead!

If it was me, I would get 2 feet of 12 inch diameter Sonotube and bury it a foot deep in the ground packing gravel around the hole to keep it tight. Then fill with concrete. Depending on the consistency of your dirt, you might need to go deeper.

I have lived here for a bit over 40 years and during that time our mailbox ( mounted in a wooden post sunk in plain dirt ) was run over twice. After the second time, I poured a 2 foot deep 12 inch sonotube and while the concrete was wet, inserted a Simpson Strong Tie post bracket and bolted on a 4x6. It’s nice and solid and if it gets hit again, it’s easy to fix.

 

[The Cobbler]

several ways to tackle that I think.
one other idea , make a frame from angle that the post will slide in to .

 

[driftpin]

You might want to check what the local P.O. says about specifications for mailbox posts. Too-much of an 'immovable object' and you could be in legal trouble if someone hits it and is injured.

A quick search turned up this:

Installing the Mailbox Post​

The best mailbox supports are stable but bend or fall away if a car hits them. The Federal Highway Administration recommends:

• A 4″ x 4″ wooden support or a 2″-diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe.
• Avoid unyielding and potentially dangerous supports, like heavy metal pipes, concrete posts, and farm equipment (e.g., milk cans filled with concrete).
• Bury your post no more than 24″ deep.

Standard Forward Mail | USPS

Follow Postal Service regulations to buy, make, and set up a mailbox so you don't have any interruption in mail service.

www.usps.com

 

[NUTTSGT]

I like the sonotube approach like Shiftless mentions.

Another option is to take it out, use it to build a form and pour your own. Keep this one else where as a yard ornament with a decorative mailbox, dedicated to him.

 

[johnre]

It survived this hit because there was some "give" - i.e. the ground it was set in.

Apparently this happens often enough that all of the others your grandfather built are now gone; only this one survives.

So I would merely excavate a new post hole a little larger that the post, set it in, and backfill it with some pea gravel.

Because it's going to happen again.

 

[fourjeepin]

Another option is to take it out, use it to build a form and pour your own. Keep this one else where as a yard ornament with a decorative mailbox, dedicated to him.

my grandfathers mailbox is on my moms back porch. Big truck wheel with heavy chain welded together to hold up the box. He repaired many holes in the box over the years, but it has four or five that didn’t get repaired before he passed in 1989.

I guess it will end up as yard art at my house soon. We have one old box at the garden already. My wife keeps her gloves and other gardening hand tools in it.

 

[Recoveryman]

I repaired a foundation with an epoxy based product that looked like concrete when dry except a little darker and strong as hell. That was years ago and still strong. I don't remember the name, but I got it at a local big box store, maybe Home Depot or Lowes. It cames in small bags. In your case, I would dig up the broken parts and with a wooden form, make it like new. I applaud you for remembering your grandfather. Good luck.
Recoveryman

 

[tncatadjuster]

It survived this hit because there was some "give" - i.e. the ground it was set in.

Apparently this happens often enough that all of the others your grandfather built are now gone; only this one survives.

So I would merely excavate a new post hole a little larger that the post, set it in, and backfill it with some pea gravel.

Because it's going to happen again.

I think the “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down” is the way to go. Make it fail to be reborne.

 

[Loose Ctrl]

The concrete was more broken up than I thought around the base. The post was set 36 inches deep, directly in the ground. We dug down around 12-14 inches. My son and I braced the mailbox post up level, and set up a square plywood form around it about 1.5 inches larger than the post. As we filled the form with concrete, we set steel mesh (hardware cloth) around it with 1 inch holes. We gently tapped the form and tamped the concrete to make sure any air was pushed out. We finished up a little while ago. It should set up overnight and I'll remove the forms tomorrow.

 

[Codyboy]

You might want to check what the local P.O. says about specifications for mailbox posts. Too-much of an 'immovable object' and you could be in legal trouble if someone hits it and is injured.

A quick search turned up this:

Installing the Mailbox Post​

The best mailbox supports are stable but bend or fall away if a car hits them. The Federal Highway Administration recommends:

• A 4″ x 4″ wooden support or a 2″-diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe.
• Avoid unyielding and potentially dangerous supports, like heavy metal pipes, concrete posts, and farm equipment (e.g., milk cans filled with concrete).
• Bury your post no more than 24″ deep.

Standard Forward Mail | USPS

Follow Postal Service regulations to buy, make, and set up a mailbox so you don't have any interruption in mail service.

www.usps.com

Those are Recommendations.