Best Tree Swing Ideas For Your Backyard

January 2, 2021

Tree swings used to be a thing of past or something quaint you spotted while shopping for a new home. Most people passed them off and left backyard tree swings largely unused. If you or your kids really wanted to swing, there was usually a park of a playground nearby.

However, these days we are seeing more and more families staying home and looking to their own backyard for entertainment. For properties blessed with one or more mature trees, the tree swing is enjoying a vigorous renaissance.

Depending on the size and materials you might be able to build your own tree swing or buy one for very little money out of pocket. It can be a great family project or simply something you surprise your kids or even your spouse with.

Choosing The Right Tree For A Tree Swing

Obviously not all trees are going to be the right size and strength to support a tree swing. Especially if you are planning to hang multiple tree swings or you are thinking about hanging a family bench tree swing.

Ideally, you want to look for a hardwood tree with sprawling branches. This includes trees like burr oak, maple hornbeam, sycamore, or even a beechwood tree. The more weight you expect the swing to bear, the more robust the tree limb will need to be.

Testing The Tree Limb

Of course, just because a mature tree limb looks robust, doesn’t mean it’s truly capable of supporting a lot of human weight in the long term. Some trees like maple have a knack for breaking branches in a strong storm or cracking limbs when shocked by a sudden amount of weight.

Taking a few extra minutes to test the strength of the tree limb will go a long way toward preventing a future injury. If possible, you could try to look a cargo ratchet strap around the limb. Then connect it and add weight. If your planned tree swing will only hold a single person you could have that person stand on the bottom of the ratchet loop. Then add another 20% of weight to the strap to see how well the limb holds. If there isn’t a lot of creaking and cracking, then chances are good it will be strong enough to confidently support your tree swing.

The Most Popular Tree Swing Concepts

You might be surprised to hear that there are a lot of different types of tire swings out there. Some are steeped in tradition, while others are little more than a board tied between two ropes. While there are no hard and fast rules about tire swings the following are some of the more popular concepts you’ll find around the country.

How To Attach A Tree Swing Safely

Whether you are installing a large bench swing for the family or a single-seater swing for your five-year-old child, you need to make sure that it’s going to hold in place on the tree limb for the long haul. Rather than trying to bolt a chain or rope through the limb, it’s better to wrap an attachment around the limb.

Even if it’s a pair of heavy-duty ratchet straps with extra tow hooks. That way the stress is distributed around the exterior of the tree limb rather than damaging the living wood, which could also compromise the structural integrity of the branch, causing a catastrophic break.

The Classic Tire Swing

The classic tire swing is something you can do yourself. You will however need an old tire, which might be harder to come across than you think. These days a lot of old, replacement tires are recycled when you purchase a new one. So, you might want to talk to the service technicians at the tire center. Even if you’re not getting new tires, they might be able to point you in the right direction for one you can get on the cheap.

When it comes to assembling the tire swing you have two options. The first is to mount the tire vertically. This calls for a single swing rope that’s wrapped around the top of the tire and tied firmly in place. The problem here is that the hole the tire allows for someone to sit in can a little tight. It’s also a bit of a headache to get into.

The more popular option is to mount the tire horizontally. Then you can connect three chains or heavy-duty ropes to a central pivot point, which then runs on a single anchor line to the overhead tree limb. This set up tends to be easier to get in and out of, and it also provides more seat space. With a large enough tire, you could possibly seat three children.

You can usually buy the tire swing mounting kit online or at a box retail hardware store for relatively cheap. Whatever mounting method you choose, make sure to drill a few holes in the bottom of the tire to give rainwater a place to run out.

There is also a more modernized version of the horizontal tire swing that replaces the tire with a padded circular frame. Then the inside is filled with a rope spider web or a disk. It saves you having to worry about sourcing a clean tire and arguably looks better in the backyard.