Whitehall Products 16536 Deluxe Mailbox Package, Black

If you a are a "Do it once, do it right" kind of person, then you will need to buy these things from a big box store along with the mailbox kit from Amazon. Please check local environmental, postal, federal, state, and county regulations before doing anything that I say below.* Four #10-24 x 1/2"-long Stainless Steel pan-head screws to hold the mailbox to the arm.* Four #10-24 Stainless Steel nuts to match the above screws.* Two 1/4" x 2"-long Galvanized hex-head lag screws to hold the aluminum post cover to the post.* Four #12 X 2"-long Stainless Steel pan-head screws to hold the mailbox arm to the post.* One Pressure Treated 6-foot long 4x4 post.* One tube of Black Silicone Caulk. This will hold the aluminum top cap on to the top of the post.* One can of black Flex-Seal.* One bag of pea gravel.* One bag of high strength concrete.* One "post level". It is a very cheap level that will attach to the post and help you ensure that it is level.* One pack of plastic shims.We are buying replacement screws all around. The new screws will resist corrosion, unlike the ones that came with the kit. Also, the kit has you use small sheet metal screws to attach the mailbox arm to the aluminum post sleeve. This is a pretty weak way to attach it. I am having you buy a longer post than Whitehall recommends, so that the post goes nearly all the way to the top of the aluminum post sleeve. We then use the #12 screws to anchor the mailbox arm directly into the wooden post. Now it is held up by wood, not flimsy aluminum.The Post:1. Spray the bottom half of the post down with flex-seal. Apply a second coat once it dries. You want a heavy coat, and it should cover the end of the post as well. Do this at least 1-2 days in advance of the post burial to let it dry. This will keep your post from rotting. Yes, it is PT lumber, but it will still rot under ground. This is an attempt to make it last 20-30+ years.Before digging your hole, take some measurements. Check the postal website for specifications on how far the box should be from the road, and how high it should be from the road.The hole:1. Dig a 32" hole2. Pour 4" of pea gravel in the bottom. Pack it down.3. Set a small piece of plastic trash (piece of a bag, or whatever) in the center of the hole. The post will rest on this. It will keep the gravel from puncturing your flex-seal.4. Set the post in the hole and get it level. Attach the "post level" to the top and leave it there. It will stand up on its own once it is level, which makes this a bit easier. You are just setting it on top of the gravel here.5. Pour the dry concrete around the post. Wear a mask while doing this.6. Add a few inches of dirt back into the hole. Check for level.7. Repeat until the dirt is completely filling the hole.8. Pour a a couple of gallons of water down the side of the post, allowing it to drain down through the dirt and wet the buried concrete powder. Check for level.9. Let this sit for a day before you do anything else. This will let the concrete set.Install the post sleeve:1. The aluminum post sleeve comes in a plastic bag. KEEP THIS BAG. Put the bag over top of your wooden post. Bring it all the way down to the bottom of the post. Now tightly wrap with packing tape. You want the whole post wrapped tightly with plastic. This keeps your post from rotting your aluminum post sleeve. (The pressure treating mix contains copper, which will destroy the post sleeve if they are allowed to touch.) Cut the top off of the bag. The very top end of the post should be exposed and not covered in plastic. This allows it to breath/dry.2. Place the aluminum post sleeve over the plastic-wrapped post. The two centered pre-drilled screw holes should be at the bottom/back.3. At the bottom of the post, install the bottom galvanized lag bolt.4. If you purchased the optional post-foot thing, slide it on now.5. At the bottom of the post, install the top lag bolt.6. Install the plastic caps that came with the kit over top of the lag bolt heads.7. If you have the foot thing, level it and tighten the screw.Install the mailbox:1. If you look down into the post sleeve, you will see some space between it and the post. Attach the post level to the post sleeve and get the sleeve level. Insert plastic shims down into the post sleeve, wedging them between the post and the sleeve. Watch the level as you do this. Once complete, it will not wiggle at all, and will be perfectly level. You should also put a little bit of black silicone caulk on the tips of the shims before installing them. This will glue them into place so that they don't shift over time.2. Loosely attach the mailbox to the arm pieces using your #10 stainless screws and nuts. They should wobble. Don't tighten. Also, don't worry about trying to use any silicone sealant here. These holes are on the bottom. They are not going to let water in.3. The post sleeve will have some pre-drilled holes on the side for attaching the mailbox arm to it. Run a small drill bit through these holes to pre-drill the wood that is now behind it since we used a longer post than the instructions asked for. The drill bit should be just a little smaller in girth than your #12 screws.4. Your mailbox kit came with some two-piece plastic screw covers. Put the bottom piece onto the screws. Now have a friend hold the mailbox up in place while you run the screws through the arms, and into the post.5. Put the top piece of the screw-caps on to cover the screws from view.6. Now that the arms are attached to the post, go ahead and tighten the 4 screws that hold the mailbox to the arms.7. Finally, put a heavy bead of black silicone into the post cap, then put the post cap onto the top of the post. This will glue it in place.Enjoy your forever mail box.

Our old mailbox got ran over/wiped out by someone. We decided to go with this one for replacement. It is well made out of really good material. Other than digging the 30" hole, it was pretty easy to install. The hardest part was attaching the box to the support brackets. It took some time to get the 4 holes lined up but once you found the first one, it was easy. The holes lined up perfectly. It says to have the treated post 18" above the ground. I went 28" because I thought the metal post sleeve needed more support. I also used a 60 pound bag of Quickrete to set the treated post. If you don't it will eventually start leaning. All in all, a very good product. I would definitely recommend.

It's expensive, but it is really nice. It's just a mailbox, so some folks may not want to spend this kind of money on one, but it will elevate your front yard. It's relatively easy to assemble.

Solid build, best mailbox money can buy, beautiful craftsmanship and execution! Easy to install, hardware included, magnetic closure for the door, beautiful custom address side panels came within 10 days! Impressed!

I would give this a five star for looks and robustness. I would give it a 3 star for ease of assembly. Ball on top does not fit post it is way to loose. I had to find a way to keep it on. Screws that are used to attach mailbox are small and have to be started into blind holes inside the mailbox. Was not easy.

Wow!! High quality. I love it!!!

I absolutely LOVE this mailbox. It’s beautiful and study and exactly what I wanted.10/10 would purchase again.

Mailbox looks great, and is larger than expected. The paint flakes and exposes an aluminum color bare metal. Also, the support below the mailbox seems to be cast alloy (not iron), as one side has snapped. The bolts connecting to the post will eventually fall off if exposed to windy conditions over several months.