How do I mount
this thing?

The bottom panel which is recessed 5/8" above the edges of the box sides has 4 mounting holes, 7/16" diameter on a 4" x 10" pattern. 4 truss head bolts, 3/8" x 1-1/2" long are furnished with each mailbox including nuts & washers. Our posts, pedestals, and PB1G bracket have a matching hole pattern for direct attachment. Start fresh with one of our in-ground posts, or a sidewalk mounted pedestal, or, use a PB1G mounting bracket to securely mount the box to your existing wood post if you wish.

If you're installing a mailbox on a sidewalk, you'll need a pedestal. It's a shorter tube with identical mounting plates on both ends. They're length specific to each mailbox model. Based on an approximate 6" curb height (sidewalk 6" above the pavement) they will place the mailbox at a height that's within USPS recommendations. Rent a rotohammer, purchase four expanding 3/8" diameter concrete anchor bolts, drill 4 holes in the sidewalk, tap the bolts into the holes until 3/4" of bolt is left exposed, set the pedestal over the bolts, and install the nuts. Don't drill too close to the edge of the sidewalk slab as it can break a piece out of the sidewalk edge. Bolt the box to the top end of the pedestal and you're done.

These are the spot welds that hold the box together. Discoloration is caused by the heat from spot welding. Their appearance will not change appreciably over time, and they will not rust. Chances are, you won't even notice them after a few days, but if you feel that you'll be annoyed by them, consider a black mailbox

The new models B14B, S18HB and S24HB are made of electro galvanized mild steel (not stainless) which is always powder coated.

20 gauge is .036" thick and 16 gauge is .062" thick, so the 16 gauge is nearly twice as heavy. Only the Belaire is offered in both gauges. All Senators and rear door Belaires are 16 gauge. If you're in a setting that's not particularly vulnerable, or the box is not in a location that's particularly vulnerable to vandalism, the 20 gauge is probably fine. If the house is a long distance from the mailbox, or there are other reasons to feel moderate to high vulnerability, the 16 gauge may be the best choice. The price difference could be be considered as extra damage insurance, but you only have to pay the premium once! In our opinion, the 16 gauge is the best value long term.

No, the Postal Service does not carry keys for individual mailboxes. The (upper) carrier service door is non-locking, so the carrier just pulls it open, removes the outgoing mail if any, slips the incoming mail into the incoming slot at the top of the carrier service compartment. The mail drops into the lower compartment, and the carrier closes the service door. You retrieve the mail via the locked lower door. You can send outgoing mail, but it's not secure.

We get this question quite often. The USPS specification requires an incoming mail opening at least 10" wide, which limits how narrow we can build them. Our door stop angles and stiffening flanges on both front side edges add another 1 inch per side, so we're at 12" wide overall on all curbside models.

A wood structure probably consists of a 4 x 4 post on each end, with a 2 x 6 on edge nailed or bolted to each side of the 4 x 4. This would result in two 2 x 6's running parallel to the street, with 3-1/2" of air space between them. If I'm right so far, you'll need a piece of 3/4" plywood or equivalent, at least 6" wide x 12" long. Screw it securely to the two 2 x 6's, then place the mailbox on top of it. Align it with the rest of the boxes, then reach inside and mark the 4 bolt hole locations with a pencil. Remove the box, drill the 4 holes just over 3/8" in diameter. Replace the box, insert the bolts from the top, washer & nut on the bottom.

That possibility can be avoided. First, be certain that what you're attaching it to is solid and sturdy. If it's wood, plywood is preferable to a 1 x 6 because 3/4" plywood is not likely to split when you screw it down. Then, by using thread locker compound on the bolt threads, you can make it virtually impossible to remove the nuts without a screwdriver on the bolt head, which is inside the locked box. For this to work best, the bolt threads should not extend beyond the face of the nut when tightened. If it does, the threads could possibly be held with pliers while the nut is broken loose with a wrench. If the end of the bolt is flush with the face of the nut, all they can do is turn the whole thing, You can hacksaw the bolt to length to make it flush, or just buy a stack of 3/8" flat washers about 4 inches high at the hardware store when you buy the tube of thread locker. Use enough washers under each nut to make the ends of the bolt flush with the face of the nut when it's snug. Don't severely tighten the nut, just snug it down so the entire bolt can turn free with relative ease.

We offer 2 and 3 box hot dipped galvanized posts (although the 3 box is too large to ship Fed Ex), as well as galvanized spreader beams of 3 through 6 box capacity. The spreader beams can be used with in ground posts or sidewalk pedestals. You'll typically need 2 posts or pedestals per spreader beam. This spaces the boxes about 4" apart.

We can, but the cost becomes prohibitive. It requires design time, which is best done on paper, because thoughts can be explored, and changes can be more easily made on paper than in metal. Beyond that, our typical production batch is 96 mailboxes to distribute machine setup time and maintain production efficiency and rhythm. It would likely cost 4 times as much for a custom box, and of course it would not be "USPS approved" (that would add a few thousand dollars plus many months to the process). It's rarely practical.

The geometry of the hopper, as the size increases, results in a larger (taller) opening when the hopper is in the incoming mail position. We built two prototype SXlH boxes that would accept a 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" x 10" parcel. (a 1 gallon plastic milk jug would almost go in) However, I can get my entire arm into the opening, and reach to within 10" of the mailbox bottom. With a 6" layer of mail in the bottom could I reach it? No, but with a pair of kitchen tongs I could eventually pick the mail out. It's a security compromise that if understood, considered and accepted, could be acceptable. We would be remiss to assume that every purchaser would be fully advised and thoroughly understand the potential risk. We are not willing to take the chance with the design avenues currently apparent to us, but we're constantly looking for improvements. We'll keep trying!