orangetrader wrote:

The previous owner of the house has a mailbox outside in the front yard at
the side of the road. It has a wrought iron post and is all corroded and
the mail box itself is all chipped and corroded as well.

I brought a new wall mount mail box and mounted it next to the entrance. I
then went to remove the one near the street. As I start to remove it it
seems to be anchored real deep. I thought it was just the wrought iron post
pounded 18-24" into the ground, but now I think may be there is poured
concrete down there...so I started to dig...and the mail truck came and he
stopped and asked me what I was doing. I explained to him and he told me I
cannot switch to a wall mount, it has to be on the street even some of my
neighbors have wall mounted boxes. Apparently those were "grandfathered in"
and allowed but no new box can be mounted on the structure.

Now I need to buy a new mail box and post. Question is how can I build a
new post? Do I need to dig a deep hole, pour some concrete in and stick in
an iron post? Is this the best way?

Thanks,

O

Probably the only way. You can dig out the old concrete or move the
mailbox post a couple of feet away. When I first moved into my house on
a rural mail route, I mounted a metal post box on one side of my
driveway. Unfortunately, there was a driveway directly accross the
street and visitors to that house invariably backed into my post,
denting it. The last straw was when a pizza delivery car backed into and
snapped it off. I then moved the mailbox to the other side of my
driveway and built a 4x4 PT mailbox post buried in concrete. It's been
there for about 18 years now.
Buy an 8' pressure treated post and make your own or go to HD or Lowes
and buy the PT mailbox kit and a bag of quikrete cement. Dig the hole,
mix the concrete, pour some in the hole, put the pole in, pour the rest
of the concrete in the hole around the post, make sure the post is
plumb, brace it so it doesn't go out of plumb until it dries, and then
back fill. Mount your mailbox on the arm of the post. Paint the pole
next year.