Dirt Complex Trail Swing HD (Updated 03/30/22 with Pictures)

As I continue to build out my overlander, I was looking for a way to carry a full size 35” spare. While many have used Rigd or Wilco for a hitch mounted carrier, I stumbled across the newest member which is the “Trail Swing HD” by Dirt Complex (DirtCom). A bit pricy but seemed to take the concept to the next level and seemed like a really good build. I decided to give them a try and ordered one. Took about 7 weeks to build and another 2 for freight delivery.

The packaging was very nice and secure. I won’t be installing until some time next week after my Alcan heavy duty springs are installed. A quick teaser pic until next week.

https://dirtcomusa.com/products/trail-swing-hd

 

Pretty cool, but damn that thing is pricey!

 

That it is. But I do think that it is better built that the Ridg and also easier to open. I guess I looked at it as, if I’m going to do it, then do it right. BTW, it also comes standard with locking lug nuts for the spare, license plate frame and light and also a spacer to mount a Rotopax tank on the back side.,

 

Looks really well built. I believe you got the aluminum bumper with BSM? Is this what you went with to maintain your BSM capability instead of going with an aftermarket bumper with built in swing outs?

 

That is correct. I installed the ICI aluminum bumper with BSM. Not sure how much of a weight savings I’m getting though. The bumper is about 60 lbs and the Trail Swing HD is 97lbs.

 

Any updated pictures or thoughts on it? I’m probably going to order one in the next few months.

 

Did got it mounted but also took my time wiring the license plate light and also ordered a front runner table to also mount on it. I have one issue because I’m running 35” MTs on TRD Pro wheels. Since these wheels have +60 offset, the tire hits the TrailSwing bar and does not sit flush on the mounting plate. Spoke with them and they admitted that they generally deal with customers that have aftermarket wheels. So I’m an outlier. Easy fix for I have a White Knight 1/4” spacer on order that will push the wheel out enough to be flush. Also had to use a spacer that they provided in the order. I will post pics once I get the spacer on but I am very happy with the build quality. Very good stuff and I really like how the license plate relocation bracket is very solid and rigid.

 

@Swamp Thing Finally got the Dirt Complex Trail Swing buttoned up. My thoughts:

• I Really like this thing. It is built like a tank and it has extreme quality to it. A very well thought out product.
• Very easy to open and close
• Has a solid license plate mount with full support of the plate. It bolts the plate at all 4 points unlike the others who only bolt the bottom of the plate.
• A nice touch of adding a rubber grommet in the swing to run the license plate wire through. This makes it easy to conceal the wire and run a clean line. See the last pic for a close-up of this.
• Easily holds a 35" tire.
• NOTE: I am running the TRD Pro wheels with a +60 offset. This created a problem with the tire mounting bracket because the tire was hitting the trail swing arm and could not be tightened down. After calling Dirt Complex, they did admit that it was primarily designed for aftermarket wheels which typically have an offset less than +30. I corrected this by using the 1/2 inch rotopax spacer provided with the order on the tire mounting bracket along with 2 White Knight 1/4" wheel spacers to go between the wheel and mounting plate. It all worked out well and the wheel sits nicely now.
• Note 2: I had to wire in my own wire connecting the license plate light to a 4 pin trailer connector. The license plate light only has about a 12" of leads and those leads are very thin. Not the fault of Dirt Complex, but all the aftermarket license plate lights being offered have very thin wires.

 

Awesome feedback, thanks! Looking forward to getting one myself.

 

Placed my order the other day. Now the wait begins

 

Very Nice! I think you'll be pleased with it. it took them about 7 weeks for my build.

Question: What size tires and wheels are you running? I'll let you know if you'll need to use the spaces or not.

Also, Here are some tips that will help you out with the license plate wiring.

• I wired the 2 license plate wire leads to a standard 4 pin trailer plug wire. I got this one from Amazon and is a decent quality and longer. I wanted to make sure I had enough wire to make the run without being shorted so I did have to cut some off.
  $16 Oyviny 10Ft Trailer-Side 4-Pin Flat Wiring Harness with Jacketed Cable Protected Heavy Duty 18AWG Pure Copper Wires Standard 4 Pin Trailer Plug 4 Way Trailer Connector Color-Coded
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08N5SLDBW?ie=UTF8

NOTE: I initially plugged this into my 4-pin trailer plug in the bumper, but then realized that I had an adapter on the underside of the bumper that goes between the truck wiring harness and the trailer plug behind the bumper. In short, this gives a 4-pin trailer plug underneath the truck so I was able to plug the license plate light in under the truck thus leaving the bumper plug free for use with a trailer. Here is the part for that harness adapter.

$31 CURT 55384 Replacement Vehicle-Side Custom USCAR 4-Pin Trailer Wiring Harness, Black, 6 x 3 x 9"es

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009FJ38Q

• I purchased wire guides from Lowes to make the license plate wire clean on the swing out. See pic below:

 

That thing is schaweet.

 

Thanks man. I do indeed like it.

@Swamp Thing here’s another photo showing one of the design differences from the others. DirtCom provides more clearance at the hitch receiver by being angled up thus providing a better departure angle.

 

I had to get rid of my Rigd because of departure angle being horrendous for those looking into swings. It looks way better in that regard.

 

Great info. Thank you!

My tires are 35s on 18” wheels with +18 offset so it doesn’t sound like I’ll need a spacer.

I have something similar to the wiring harness you linked already in use under the truck for my Putco tailgate light. I’m not sure if there’s any possible harm in stacking them but I may just use a Y splitter like this instead. Probably six of one, half dozen of the other. I’ll wrap those ketchup and mustard cables with some black loom.

$6 4 Way Y-Splitter Plug Universal for Tailgate Light Bar and Trailer Lights Plug & Play Adapter Extension Harness Wiring Plug 4 Pin Connectors (1) (1)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08HGMN3ZV?smid=A2VYFXXFAPGTZ6

Did you need to drill holes for those wire guides?

 

Since your wheels are +18 offset, you should be good to go without using a spacer. But if you did need it, the included Rotopax spacer can be used.

You can use 4-pin “Y” splitters under the truck to give more connectors. I too have a Putco Blade under tailgate light. However, since the TrailSwing now partially obstructs the Putco light, I added a 3rd brake light on the top back of my rack. So, I used 2 Y spitters under the truck to connect 3 lights (license plate light, Putco Blade, and upper 3rd brake light). I used the following splitters for they were shorter and included a wrap.

$9 OPT7 Weatherproof 4-Pin Tow Y Splitter Connector Adapter for Truck Tailgate - Perfect for Trailers, Accessory Lighting, Towing, Safety Lighting

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M0K4XCQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

Also, no need to drill holes for the wire guides. The holes and bolts are already there to mount the license plate bracket. I just included a wire guide on each end of the bolt.

 

Here is a a pic of the 3rd brake light I added to the rack.

 

Awesome! I’ll post pics in a couple months when I get it in.

 

Looking forward to seeing your pics.

 

BTW, you did order the HD version right?

 

Sure did

 

Cool, just making sure for the regular size one doesn’t open enough for the tailgate to open.

 

@Swamp Thing Since I also added the table to the Trail Swing, the tailgate rear cameras is completely blocked. I added a camera relocation kit to the swing it self. There’s a few out the there that are plug and play but I chose the one from Rigd industries. It’s smaller and has a better mount option.

 

Looks good. I probably have another month until my Trail Swing ships.

I was thinking of using the kit from Rostra. @incredibillhulk - I’ll be reaching out soon to find a dealer.

https://www.rostra.com/toyota-tundra-tailgate-backup-camera-relocation-kits.php

I was also wondering if I could retrofit something like this on the Trail Swing. It would place the basket above the spare. It would also be a good spot to mount the camera. I asked the guys at Dirtcom if they had plans for something similar and they said no.

EAG Black Steel Rear Cargo Basket for Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier Fit for Wrangler 87-96 YJ 97-06 TJ 07-18 JK

https://www.amazon.com/EAG-Black-Steel-Basket-Carrier/dp/B079HS31SJ#

 

You might be able to fit the basket. It all depends on the spacing of the 4 mounting holes. Here’s a pic of Dirtcom’s accessory arm that mounts similarly..

 

Thanks for the picture, that gives me a better idea of what I’m working with. I figured I’d need to drill some new holes and get a little creative with it

 

Nice review. How easy/hard it is to relocate the camera? Do you need to open the tailgate and cut the wire to the existing camera and run it to the trail swing?

thanks!

 

Extremely easy and no cutting. I purchased the Rigd camera for the Tundra which is a plug and play camera. The existing tailgate camera plugs into the truck harness under the bed near the rear. simply unplug the tailgate camera from the harness and plug the new camera in.

 

thanks for the response. Last question, I see you have an aftermarket rear bumper, was it hitch also aftermarket? I have stock tundra rear bumper and am wondering how close/far I will stick out relative to the stock bumper. Ideally I want it to sit as close to rear bumper as possible (like yours with aftermarket bumper)

 

Will sit about the same as my aftermarket rear bumper. These pics are from Dirt Complex website with a Tundra stock bumper.

Edit: Even though my bumper is aftermarket, the hitch receiver is stock.