Cedar Blocks

[Bsikes]

My neighbor (carpenter) gave me a bunch of 8x8x4 inch cedar blocks for the TT. Scraps to him. They will work well for the stab jacks. My question is will they support the tongue weight of the hitch? Always thought cedar was a softer wood.

[norty1]

I would not hesitate to use them.

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by Bsikes

My neighbor (carpenter) gave me a bunch of 8x8x4 inch cedar blocks for the TT. Scraps to him. They will work well for the stab jacks. My question is will they support the tongue weight of the hitch? Always thought cedar was a softer wood.

Since you asked...

Cedar is great wood for using outside. It won't readily crush. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for blocking. If stacking is needed it helps to orient the grain at 90 degrees alternating as you go up. Don't worry if the ends overhang a bit as long as the load is on the center of the stack.

If the load on the wood isn't from a decent sized metal pad or foot (open pipe end of nose jack) you might consider using a piece of plywood as padding to avoid any chance of splitting. That's probably overkill though, but good for piece of mind.

It really smells nice too. vic

[Iraqvet05]

I use 8x8 cedar blocks for my stabilizers but haven't tried to use one on the tongue. I love how much lighter they are compared to pressure treated wood. Some of mine have splits that really haven't progressed much over 2 seasons.