Step 1

Purchase a large diameter rope to act as the tire seat support from your local hardware store or lumberyard. Take a rough measurement from the branch to the point you want where you want the tire to hang then add about ten feet for loops and knots.

Use a piece of rubber hose to protect both the tree branch and the rope from excessive wear. Buy a piece of hose that has an inside diameter that is slightly larger than your rope. Slip the rope through the hose, making sure that the hose will rest on the top of the branch when it is put in place.

Find an old tire to use for the swing seat. You may have one lying around the garage or you can check with local service stations or tire stores. Most will sell you an old tire for next to nothing or even give you one at no cost.

Clean the tire with a trip to the car wash and a good squirt with the power sprayer. At home a solution of one part bleach to three parts water used on the tire with the help of an old scrub brush will strip of any possibly harmful deposits.

Remember to clean the inside of the tire as well while you are doing the out side.

Use a power drill with at least a half-inch bit to drill several holes through the surface of the tire. This will be the bottom of the swing or the part that is under the seating area. The hole will keep rainwater from collecting in the tire and becoming stagnant. If you live an area of the country with lots of leafy trees you may have to make an annual practice of cleaning the leaves out of the tire to prevent the leaves from plugging the holes.

Loop the end of the rope with the protective hose sleeve over the branch you have selected. The branch should be at least six inches in diameter to be safe. The farther the swing is from the trunk the larger the supporting branch should be.

Use a common square knot or overhand double knot(this is the knot that everyone uses to tie package string ' nothing nautical or Boy Scout tricky about it) to secure the rope to the branch. Leave a little space in the loop to allow for branch growth.

Set your tire up on anything you can find as a temporary stand that is the approximate height you want it to hang. Calling in a friend to help hold the tire is a good idea because you can take turns swinging each other once the swing is completed.

Take two wraps of rope around the tire and then use another square or double overhand knot to secure the rope at the tire end.

Adjust the swing height after a few days if the rope stretches out from the weight of passengers.