How to fix a wobbly mailbox post

mailbox

This evening, I had the unfortunate luck of someone completely taking out my wooden mailbox with their side-view mirror, leaving only the post. It was a total accident, and he was quite apologetic, and I had my mailbox back up in about an hour with the help of some 1 1/4" brads.

The mailbox is now firmly reassembled – the only trouble is that he knocked it hard enough that the post is now wobbly! I'm not sure how deeply it's sunk in the ground, and from the way it wobbles, I'm pretty sure it's just a ~4"x4" wooden post sunk into the dirt. What is the best way (where best in this case means quickest and cheapest, without being slipshod) to firmly fix that post in place?

Best Answer

You have a couple of options that I can think of, assuming that the ground around the post is fairly firm:

  1. Wedge something in next to the post. (thin rocks, cut down cedar shingles, etc.)
  2. Fill in the gap next to the post by pouring in sand

If the ground's soft, you'll need to re-compact the soil around the post. (and if it's not soft, you can always loosen it up, then re-compact it, as in some cases that may be the easier fix)

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