The odds depend on what I find for resources when I go look for parts tomorrow. If I can find something metal...
If you are looking for the cheapest option, get rid of the plastic bracket and replace the wood plank. The box will screw right into the side. You could buy a 6' piece of wood and have spares for the next time it happens... or you could just replace the vertical post so the box is higher (and out of plow range). I'm surprised that the plow contacted just the box and didn't demo the horizontal. Maybe it was the pressure of the snow against the box that broke the bracket.
I kinda tried that last winter. The screw heads attaching the existing board are corroded past the point of being usable, but there's still enough to hold the board down. I tried to drill them out with little luck during the winter. I intended to try last summer when I can stand next to it easier, but didn't think of it as there were no problems then. Maybe this summer...
I don't know how much raising it would help. It's already significantly higher than the other snow. Technically I should have a completely different mailbox type (pole setback 48" from street, etc.), but only one person on my block has that currently so I'm not rushing to replace everything.
I am really having a hard time wrapping my mind around the perspective in that picture. It looks like the snow is attached to the bottom of a plank made from cement.
i'm with adam. can you explain what we're looking and and from where? bouns points for arrows. :)
I thought the same thing! It took me a while.
Brooke - to mee it looks like a close up of the board on which the box one sat. The snow seems to be hanging off the bottom of the board (so the mailbox post is sticking out of a pile of snow). At least that's how I see it.
I guess I can see how that could be hard with the background completely dark. That's where the mailbox sat (the screws are holding what's left of the bracket down), taken looking out at the street. The vertical post is just off the right side of the picture. The snow from plow spray is what is stuck to the side of the post (the snow from the ground doesn't go up that high). The background is all black because that's the street and the flash didn't return enough to get any useful data with the exposure for the post. If you click and go to the other pictures (specifically the first photo), you can probably get a better idea.
Okay, yeah. It clicked as soon as I looked at the other pictures. Weird.
Copyright ©2000-2008 Jeremy Mooney (jeremy-at-qux-dot-net)
Are you taking fights on round 3? I've got $10 to put on the snow plow if you are.
ps. sorry about the mailbox dude, that's a bummer.