Dual swing bumper regrets?

Anyone pony up the $$ for a dual swing bumper and regret it? Overall length change, tailgate access? Daily driver pains? Thanks.

 

Dual vs single or dual vs zero?
I went with a single swing out mainly so im not fiddling with two gates to open to try and open my tailgate. You will also loose semi side access if your trying to get to the bed for things.
The one thing I don’t like about my single, it is rather long and always comes super close to the trailer if im towing one

 

What in tarnation....?

 

I have looked at those. I would strongly suggest that you look at the impact on adding cantilevered weight far behind your rear axle and the impact on departure angle. For myself, I decided not to go there, after looking into it.

 

Hi clearance baby!

 

@FrenchToasty - that looks great.

I'm not too worried about the angle. The little lift and taller tires I have should be plenty for where I'm going. I do want to have better access to my rear tire and I want to put trash out there - plus I want a place to store a propane bottle. I sleep in the bed of the truck, so I'd rather have it outside.

@gosolo I hadn't thought about cantilevered weight, but I guess its something to think about... how different is that than a trailer on a hitch?

 

The big difference is that the weight of the bumper is there always, but the weight of the trailer is only while being hitched up.

 

Good point.
Although, the trucks typically ride better with some weight in the bed, so maybe this will help to soften the ride, assuming the lift/suspension can accommodate it without having a sagging rear end.

 

I have the Expedition dual swing rear bumper and having the truck as my daily, it is a pain in the ass but I do love it! It's not convenient to just toss things in the truck bed anymore like I used to when grocery shopping etc and also reverse parking, I can't open the tailgate as well if there's a wall or car behind me.

Picture for reference:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIWQqMhgg2d/

 

I once spent a king's ransom on a swing-away rear tire carrier on a Land Rover. I found a matching spare wheel on eBay, paid good money to have it shipped, cleaned up, and powder coated. I purchased a matching full-size tire, TPMS sensor and factory matching lug nuts.

But about a week after getting it all buttoned up, I concluded that I fully just hated the whole setup. It interfered with my backup sensors so it beeped whenever I was in reverse, and there was no solution for that. I had to use a 12" extension to clear the tire with anything like a hitch mount bike rack. Visibility was impacted. The tire itself interfered with my trailer's power tongue jack, so there was a wonky workaround when towing. Just getting into the back of the truck was a total PITA, especially if you have anything in your hands. I can't remember if I had TPMS issues when rotating tires, seems like that would be par for the course. And when that bike rack was down, that extra foot made parking all that more of a hassle. Oh and my bike rack bounced a lot more, too.

Granted, this was on a Land Rover, not a Tundra, so it had a hatch style read end. But I am embarrassed to admit how much of a hassle I found it to be overall -- especially considering what I dumped into the project. To each his own, but I would recommend you go meditate on how you really use the back of your truck before you pull the trigger.

I did look great, however.

Good luck!

 

Maybe just fab a hitch mount carrier for the propane bottle or sit it on the ground. A hitch basket cargo carrier may also work for your needs on a periodic basis.

 

Mostly ^ this.

Caveat: I have never put this kind of set-up on my truck. It’s an agreement I made with @papasmurf when he built mine, because that kind of weight doesn’t do anything good barreling trough the desert and over whoops at speed. But if you don’t drive like a maniac, maybe you’ll be good with the weight.

A guy I’ve seen with such a set-up that gets up some decent speed (I’ve never seen high speed + whoops though) is @Porschetech29 and his is his daily, and
he never seems to hesitate to open and close it. Maybe if these guys have minutes to spare, they’ll chime in some time with their significant real world experience.

 

Thought of one more gripe: I couldn't open my tailgate when hitched up to my trailer as there was not enough clearance for the tire to swing out due to the tongue jack, or for the rear window to swing up. So on camping trips, nobody could get in/out of the back of the SUV at all until we were set up at camp and I was un-hitched. That situation never once occurred to me beforehand, and it alone drove me bananas. But damn, I did look good!

 

Maybe a solution....hitch mounted swing out. Can take it off when not needed. Can also hang it on back of a trailer when needed but towing.

 

Wouldn’t this be a whole lot of cantilevered weight all secured in one spot? I dunno….

 

Trailer tongue is easily 700-1100

 

Swing out 300 tire 100 propane 40 fuel 50 what else? 500 lbs, no worries, 700 easy to carry.

 

I have carried a 700lb riding mower on my custom 250lb monster hitch basket many of times. Just not fun to hitch up the giant heavy basket!

 

I had a dual swing out rear bumper on my Tacoma. From an off road aspect it was awesome. Increased ground clearance under the truck, better departure angles and tire was easily accessible. From a daily driver aspect it was a hassle for the same reasons others have mentioned. Can’t leave the tailgate down for long items, bed access when towing (mostly an issue with single swing outs), lose the ability to use a tailgate pad for bikes and racks stick out even farther. The other thing to consider if you tow is whether or not the high clearance receiver is rated for what you need (if removing the factory receiver).

edit: it was enough of a hassle that I will not put another swing out bumper on a daily driver.

 

this is always an option if you want the ability to remove it and only use when needed

 

This is exactly what I stated above, seems like it would also be easier to sell at some point since it is not vehicle specific. I'd say add a propane tank mount ($25) and you will have your setup. Negative is, moving the spare tire back and forth, kinda a headache.

 

@FrenchToasty, where did you get that bumper?

thanks!

 

It’s a weld yourself kit from coastal off-road out of Canada
Northwest trail innovation has another kit as well; I just looked at their front bumper for a DC 1stgen, and it is hideous!!!

 

Thanks. All things I was worried about… hitch mount would be ideal, but then need to figure out how carry the bikes. That Wilco tire carrier looks like it might also have a 2” receiver hitch
I sold my trailer so we can just sleep out of the truck. I’m going for simplicity. That said, I don’t see the bed getting used much for moving stuff around. I pulled the rear seats out and build a platform. I can store a boatload back there now.
More to think about I guess.
Thanks for all the input.

 

There are adapters that make two receivers out of one so a person can have a hitch and bike carrier at the same time.

 

Yeah - that Wilco hitch max is probably the answer. Thanks a ton!

 

Bumpity

 

I had the Expedition One (quality and design were 5 stars) swing outs on my Taco and Tundra. I loved and hated them. The Tundra was a bit of a drag because I had to get a motorcycle hitch carrier with an extension, etc. They are super convenient when hauling extra fuel and storing your oversized tire BUT not so much when needing to get in and out of your tailgate/bed of the truck. You also lose the ability to throw longer things in the bed and run with the tailgate down if needed. I like the idea of a quick removal of the swing out... my only concern with that is how far it will stick out behind the tailgate... I saw one on a Tacoma and it looked like it was almost a foot and then add the 35 or 37" tire to that and she is sticking out pretty good at that point. (more of an aesthetics issue vs. function).

 

I went w the RIGD swing out and leave it on full time. Camera is a little obscured, but not terribly so. I only use it to haul the Kuat 4 bike rack and bikes for me and the kids....maxes out the 250# rating. Went w RIGD as the hitch portion is still rated at 10k pounds for towing.