Rigid UltraSwing for 5th Gen 4Runner - Anyone using it?

[SurgicalApple]

I was very interested in purchasing this product as a substitute for a full rear bumper modification. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any reviews on the forum in regards to it. Furthermore, it basically costs as much as a rear bumper! Why would they even price it similarly to it? Oh well, does anyone have this product on their T4R? If so, how do you like it? Is there any way to salvage the use of the backup camera?


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[KingTaco]

[MENTION=217430]SurgicalApple[/MENTION] I have it and think it's great. Unsure what swing out bumper costs close to $1020; A CBI single arm is $2,675 without shipping. That is the bumper I was considering before buying the UltraSwing.

Here is a link to video showing how it doesn't bounce around: YouTube

And here is a link to 10 user reviews (many from this site): UltraSwing Hitch Carrier for 4th and 5th Gen 4Runner - RIGd Supply

I haven't relocated my camera yet. I'll likely move it up by the center brake light. I wouldn't mount it on the UltraSwing because then you're giving up the flexibility to remove it any time you want. I just put the front runner table on it as well-it's a nice addition.

 

[jayhat]

Damn, did it go up in price? I seem to recall them being a lot cheaper when they first started making them.

 

[Liquid_G]

Talked them at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff AZ this past weekend. Seemed like a solid piece. They were offering a setup too that had some Frontrunner Table/ Rago Panel on it too. Could be interesting for a camping setup where you needed an extra work / prep setup. I think they wanted like 1100ish for that kit.

Wilco Offroad also makes something similar, without any fancy table setup. was like in the $ 800 range I believe.

Both seemed solid and looked like it wouldn't wobble around.

 

[Motory]

I like the Detours of Maine one better. Does pretty much everything the Ultraswing does, but sits closer to the hatch (its adjustable), tire placement is better IMO, and its half the price ($595+shipping). No table or hi lift option, but I'm planning on making my own mounts for them once mine arrives; shouldn't be very hard.

 

[pDubs]

Damn, did it go up in price? I seem to recall them being a lot cheaper when they first started making them.

I think they did a big "pre-order" when they first came out in the $850 range.

 

[MRG_TRD]

I have it and absolutely love mine. Its a really solid piece. Had a minor issue with the latch due to design flaw but customer service was top notch and they overnighted me a new one.

I use it as a spare tire carrier, mount my rotopax, as well as have the drop down front runner table and rago plate, and its relatively compact compared to other stuff out there. And love that I can take it off if I want to drop weight or cruising around in the city.

Back up camera definitely gets blocked when its on but then again its not a permanent piece like a full bumper. I just leave lots of space when backing up.

Only cons I didn't like was the design of the rago plate that mounts to the swing out. The hole spacing makes it difficult to access nuts/bolts and attach the table or other accessories. Thought there could have been more thought put into that part.

 

[4climbing]

I have the Ultraswing with the table and the hi lift mount. It is honestly such a great purchase! The extra table alone makes it worth it. The build quality is excellent and I have not had any issues with it and it does not wobble at all. The latch problem the other guy had I saw in this is the company they use has a defect in them where a pin drops out sometimes but if you put some loctite on the pin its good to go! Overall the thing is great and it is way cheaper than a full rear bumper but this thing can hold just as much stuff on it if you want it to. You can see some pictures of mine on instagram @kophoto4x4

 

[Buszzbait]

I like the Detours of Maine one better. Does pretty much everything the Ultraswing does, but sits closer to the hatch (its adjustable), tire placement is better IMO, and its half the price ($595+shipping). No table or hi lift option, but I'm planning on making my own mounts for them once mine arrives; shouldn't be very hard.

I like this one too. Seems very solid and priced right. You have to powder coat it but man he preps it shinny from what I seen. Even though it does come with a hitch I asked if he would relocate the hitch to the swing out so I could put my 1UP bike rack. He said they where too busy to add that and would pass on it. Quoted shipping to MT was $75.

 

[sn_85]

I have the Rigd Ultraswing along with Rago plate and Front Runner table. I got in on the pre-production run when it was $825 shipped. It arrived a little scuffed up so a quick email to Luke and they quickly took care of me.

I wasn't sure if I was ready for a full rear bumper replacement so I went with the Rigd Ultraswing. Yes there are pro's and con's to each but ultimately a hitch mounted tire swing would accomplish what I wanted, bring the spare tire out from the bottom and provide a mounting system for accessories (in this case a drop down table). And if I decided that either I didn't like it and wanted to go back to stock or go full rear bumper then it's as simple as removing it and selling it. It's easy to reverse whereas if you go full rear bumper then that's more of a permanent decision.

A few impressions on the Rigd Ultraswing itself. Very high quality part. The overall construction is excellent, the hinge mechanism is nice and strong and the same as what rear bumper replacements use, overall it's a well thought out and designed hitch mounted tire solution. I like the fact that it has two hitches on the unit itself, one as an extension to the oem part and one on the swing out itself. The hitch is two rated at 10,000lbs so more than what our 4Runners can even tow and the second swing out allows you to mount a bike rack and swing out a bike without having to take your bike off or fold down the rack. I took it off-roading on corrugated wash boards with whoops and dips and it hardly moves. There is a tiny bit of wobble and vibration but nothing bad.

The Rago panel was sort of PTIA to install and my least favorite part of it. Although I suppose this is more of an indictment on Rago than Rigd. But once it's installed it's done. I added the Front Runner fold down table and used the heck out of it this week while camping. One of my favorite parts about the way they designed the Ultraswing, the ability to basically add any accessory once you get the Rago panel.

Overall I like it a lot for what it is. It does block the rear view camera and I won't be doing a camera relocation until I decide I'll keep it for good, go full replacement, or go back to stock. For now it stays and I enjoy the fact that I simply added it on as accessory without gaining the weight of a full bumper, needing to add stronger rear springs, re-gear, or hack up the truck.

If all you need is a spare tire carrier than I'd look at the Detours of Maine one. It's cheaper, looks very high quality, and has better departure angle. If you want accessories and a swing out hitch then Ridg is the way to go. I wouldn't consider a Wilco at this point until they update their design or drop the price.

 

[rigdsupply]

Damn, did it go up in price? I seem to recall them being a lot cheaper when they first started making them.

Thanks for weighing in on this thread. I've been trying to catch up on questions in UltraSwing threads. To clarify, we have not changed the price of the UltraSwing since the day we launched. We simply offered a significant discount for the initial preorder launch to incentivize the first adopters. The price is $1,100 ($1020 if you don't need the wheel plate). Some people just want to use the UltraSwing as a way to swing out their bike rack and carry extra fuel, camp table, etc.

 

[rigdsupply]

I was very interested in purchasing this product as a substitute for a full rear bumper modification. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any reviews on the forum in regards to it. Furthermore, it basically costs as much as a rear bumper! Why would they even price it similarly to it? Oh well, does anyone have this product on their T4R? If so, how do you like it? Is there any way to salvage the use of the backup camera?


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Apologies for not catching this thread sooner. Forums are not are not our strong suite. If anyone reading this wants a fast response from us, visit our Instagram, YouTube, or email [email protected]

To weigh in on the comment about comparing the UltraSwing to a replacement bumper for anyone else looking to make a decision on a rear swing out: We never had any intention of making a product that competes with someone needing additional rear end protection. When we designed it the goal was to make an alternative that better met our personal priorities:

1. Carry a spare tire and bikes (and swing them both out of the way)
2. Lighter weight
3. Removable
4. Options for other accessories like a camp table or fuel

For us, it wasn't about trying to make something less expensive, we just didn't need a rear bumper. And adding 250+ lbs of steel to the rear of the 4Runner made no sense for our personal needs. Turns out there are a lot of 4Runner owners out there with similar priorities.

If additional rear-end protection is a major priority than a replacement rear bumper is definitely the way to go. We personally are fans of C4 Fab

 

[rigdsupply]

I like the Detours of Maine one better. Does pretty much everything the Ultraswing does, but sits closer to the hatch (its adjustable), tire placement is better IMO, and its half the price ($595+shipping). No table or hi lift option, but I'm planning on making my own mounts for them once mine arrives; shouldn't be very hard.

Thanks for weighing in on this thread. Nothing against Detours of Maine, just to clarify, Detours of Maine does one thing: Carry a spare tire. If your priority is to carry a spare and nothing else, it'll do the job. It sits closer by sacrificing the ability to carry anything else with you.

The UltraSwing can swing out a spare tire, and bike rack, and mount a camp table, Rotopax, Hi-Lift, etc. As well as giving you the option to run it with our without the tire mounting plate if you ever have a need to swap the functionality for mounting a Waterport or another Rotopax to the front of the carrier.

For anyone reading this I would highly encourage watching our feature and accessory breakdown video breaking down specific features and functions we built into the UltraSwing in order to make an informed decision of what carrier is best for you.

 

[Motory]

Thanks for weighing in on this thread. Nothing against Detours of Maine, just to clarify, Detours of Maine does one thing: Carry a spare tire. If your priority is to carry a spare and nothing else, it'll do the job. It sits closer by sacrificing the ability to carry anything else with you.

The UltraSwing can swing out a spare tire, and bike rack, and mount a camp table, Rotopax, Hi-Lift, etc. As well as giving you the option to run it with our without the tire mounting plate if you ever have a need to swap the functionality for mounting a Waterport or another Rotopax to the front of the carrier.

For anyone reading this I would highly encourage watching our feature and accessory breakdown video breaking down specific features and functions we built into the UltraSwing in order to make an informed decision of what carrier is best for you.

For anyone wondering the Detours one actually does have a predrilled bracket behind the tire for attaching rotopax. Haven't tested the limits as to what you can fit on it in terms of size since I have mine mounted elsewhere already(could probably get a 4gal to fit if you dont have a ladder), but it's there. It also has an additional relocated 2in receiver you can attach a hitch mount bike rack. The tire mount is also removable/modular, but if you want to carry something else instead, you'd have to make the new mount yourself. You got me on the table and hi lift mount though. I ended up just DIYing my own hi lift mount with a $55 Jeep mount off Amazon.

But yeah, if you're not into DIY and just want a carrier with readily available accessories, the ultraswing is probably the way to go. Can't go wrong with either!

 

[rigdsupply]

For anyone wondering the Detours one actually does have a predrilled bracket behind the tire for attaching rotopax. Haven't tested the limits as to what you can fit on it in terms of size since I have mine mounted elsewhere already(could probably get a 4gal to fit if you dont have a ladder), but it's there. It also has an additional relocated 2in receiver you can attach a hitch mount bike rack. The tire mount is also removable/modular, but if you want to carry something else instead, you'd have to make the new mount yourself. You got me on the table and hi lift mount though. I ended up just DIYing my own hi lift mount with a $55 Jeep mount off Amazon.

But yeah, if you're not into DIY and just want a carrier with readily available accessories, the ultraswing is probably the way to go. Can't go wrong with either!

Looks clean man [emoji106] Nice ladder too

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[KnowNothing]

rear visibility

I am currently installing the ultraswing with the ultra plate, front runner table, and hi-lift jack mount. I chose ultraswing because it appeared to me that it sat lower then other options I found and so didn't impact rear visibility as much.
Yes, the rear view camera become pretty useless, but I have an aftermarket camera I mount looking back.

 

[TNorman]

I just put one of these on our truck with the Frontrunner table and slide out cutting board. Make sure you guys use the bottom holes on your license plate to keep the tag from hanging below the Ultraswing. Also, curious what you all are doing for relocating the license plate light. I have a plan to just use a 4 pin to run an off the shelf LP light, because I don't plan on employing the Ultraswing/tire carrier full time, even though it does look kinda cool.

 

[SoCalRunner]

Waiting for license plate light solution

I just put one of these on our truck with the Frontrunner table and slide out cutting board. Make sure you guys use the bottom holes on your license plate to keep the tag from hanging below the Ultraswing. Also, curious what you all are doing for relocating the license plate light. I have a plan to just use a 4 pin to run an off the shelf LP light, because I don't plan on employing the Ultraswing/tire carrier full time, even though it does look kinda cool.

Im also waiting for an easy and temporary solution for the license plate light. I want something that is easy to to hook up and undo when I remove the tire carrier. This is what is keeping me from pulling the trigger on one of these.

 

[stephan07]

That RigD ultraswing looks tough to beat. I grew up in Maine, so the the folk sin Maine are appealing, but the ability to swing away my bikes, add the table, and comes powdercoated already is swaying me. I do like though how close you can get the tire on the Maine one. Some rear bumpers and hitches look a bit odd to me with the tire so far away from the vehicle.

 

[TNorman]

Im also waiting for an easy and temporary solution for the license plate light. I want something that is easy to to hook up and undo when I remove the tire carrier. This is what is keeping me from pulling the trigger on one of these.

I decided to grab a simple 4 pin trailer wiring harness wired to a cheap tag light, wrapped in black wire loom and a clip to hold the light over the tag. While this is effective and somewhat stealthy, I'll most likely find a more aesthetically pleasing solution later. I only plug this in if I happen to be out driving on city/hwy roads at night. Because, on the trail, it doesn't matter.


We took the truck out this past weekend and hit an MVUM trail with some dispersed camping in the Ouachita Nat'l Forrest here in Oklahoma. The trails would be considered easy by most standards. A lot of rocks, lose gravel, steep inclines, and minimal mud. By the end, the ultra-swing was squeaking just enough from bouncing around, that we could hear it when the rear window was down. I'm pretty sure that squeak would be eliminated by changing the tension in the wedge in the hitch. The fold out table was excellent and served it's purpose well. The slide out cutting board worked great, but if you slide it out too far and you are an aggressive slice and dicer, or you try and set something heavy on it (pot of coffee), the board will have some downward play and what you set on there might slide off. I plan on loading the ultra-swing up with gear (water/fuel, recovery, and bikes) because with our RTT on, you can't really put much up on the rack. While I imagine that some day I will do a full bumper, something I really like about the ultra-swing is that I can take it off the rig, throw the spare back underneath and run a stock bumper around town. Over all we are very pleased with the Ultra-Swing from RigD, so far.