How do you set a mailbox post?

Question

The post I will be setting up will be stainless steel if that helps.

Answer 1

You need:

1 bag ready mix concrete

Wheelbarrow or something to mix the concrete in

trowel

a small level

shovel

piece of scrap wood

hammer

stick or broom handle.

Dig down c. 18-24 inches, and the hole should be about a foot in diameter.  This isn't the kind of thing where you really need to worry about the frost line/frost heaving, so no reason to go crazy deep with something this small.  

Mix the concrete in the wheelbarrow or whatever.  Should be the consistency of creamy peanut butter.  Don't let it get too runny or you will have trouble later.

Center the post in the hole.  Put the scrap wood on top of the post so you don't damage it and wack the wood a few times to stabilize the post in the hole where you want it before you pour the concrete.

Pour the concrete in gently around the pole.  It is ok if the pole shifts a bit while you do this.   Pour half of the concrete in at one time, and use the stick to probe the wet concrete to  make sure there are no voids/air bubbles.   Kind of like sticking your straw into a milk shake, all the way around the blob of concrete in the hole.

Then pour in the rest of the concrete and repeat the stick process to remove any voids/air bubbles.  You want the concrete just above the level of the ground, so fill the hole completely.

Now take the level and plumb up the post.  You do this by getting the pole even/level on one side, then moving the level 90 degrees and doing the same thing.  In other words, you level on one axis and then the other one.  Once you get the pipe level in both directions, you shouldn't need to support it.  The concrete should be thick enough that the pole just stays where you leave it.

Now take the trowel and gently smooth the top of the concrete.  The concrete should have a little slope with the peak right around the pole, so rain water sheds away from the pole rather than pooling against it.

Re-check that the post is still plumb and adjust if necessary after you finish smoothing the top of the concrete and you are done.   You should be ready to install the mailbox on the pole 24hrs later.

Answer 2

Dig your hole fill with quick set cement & put your post in. Hold in place till the cement sets.

Edit: What I meant to say, was use a support to hold it in place, not stand there & hold it yourself!

Answer 3

You may want to check the codes for your area. In our area, the post must be able to break away in case of an impact. This way , nobody will get seriously killed should they accidently drive off of the roadway.

Dig down 2.5-3 ft with a post hole digger, set the post as straight as possible in the hole, replace about 6 inches of the dirt, pack it down really tight, recheck the post for plumb, and then repeat the filling and packing process until all of the dirt is back in the hole. The dirt in the hole will be harder than the dirt around the hole and the post won't go anywhere.