Rubicon UTV Run
July 2007
The DuneGuide.com Rhino at the top of Cadillac Hill on the world famous
Rubicon Trail
The Rubicon Trail located in Northern California is world famous among 4x4 fans.
The trail was established in the late 1800's as a stage coach route between
Georgetown and Lake Tahoe mainly to serve two resort hotels at Wentworth Springs
and Rubicon Springs. After the hotels went out of business and the road
deteriorated it was picked as home for the first
Jeepers Jamboree in
1953. Since then it has gained international recognition and is considered the
"Granddaddy" of all four-wheel trails - a 10 on most scales. The Rubicon Trail
is actually an unmaintained county right of way - the Rubicon/McKinney Road.
UTVs Tackle the Rubicon - Side x Side Action Magazine online
We gathered 14 UTVs and headed down the trail from the Lake Tahoe side to see if
they were worthy enough to survive the trip. 8 Yamaha Rhinos, 1 Arctic
Cat Prowler, 4 Polaris Rangers and 1 Polaris Ranger RZR made the trip. Our
destination for camp was Rubicon Springs, the site of a late 19th Century
mineral springs and hotel. To get there, we passed several lakes and then
descended Cadillac Hill.
Help Keep The Rubicon Trail Open!
The Rubicon Trail is under attack by environmental extremist that don't want
off-road vehicles to use our National Forests. Do your part to keep the trail
open by staying on the designated trail. El Dorado County Sheriff routinely
patrols the trail, and will issue tickets to anyone that is off the trail.
Part of this trip report appeared in Side x Side Action Magazine - November 2007
issue
Pictures:
Eight Rhinos and one Arctic Cat Prowler at the trail head on the Lake
Tahoe side of the Rubicon Trail.
The second wave of UTVs (one Polaris RZR and four Polaris Rangers) left
later in the day.
Quick stop at Miller Lake
Dollar Hole
Random Shots from Day One
Observation Point - The Group Shot
Coming down Cadillac Hill
Rubicon Springs
Going up Big Sluice
Buck Island
Coming up Cadillac Hill
Trail Repairs
Blown Tire Bead
On any
extreme trail like the Rubicon, you have got to be prepared for different
types of breakdowns. Unfortunately for Aaron Wedeking from PRP Seats, the
Rubicon threw him a few curve balls. The good news is Aaron was prepared
and had the skills to fix the breakdowns that could have left us in a very
tough spot.
Aaron’s first
mishap came on the way down Cadillac Hill before we made it to camp. In a
tough spot, he had forced the wheel to the side and ended up breaking the
aftermarket steering wheel adapter. Since we were about ½ mile from camp, we
decided the best thing to do was to get him to camp, then work on a fix. To
do that, a few of us ran ahead and took a steering wheel and adapter off
another Rhino, then ran it back up the trail. We bolted it on and got down
to camp without a hitch. Now what were we going to do?
Well Aaron
was prepared for just this type of scenario. With two other rigs, he
combined three batteries with jumper cables and used a welding stick to weld
the adapter back in place. See the “Trail Welding 101” article in this issue
to see exactly how this works. All I can say is that I was completely
impressed. The welding sounded good, looked OK and got him back to the
trailer on Sunday. And that is what a trail fix is all about.
Aaron’s
second mishap came on the way up Cadillac Hill on Sunday morning. The Arctic
Cat Prowler that his Dad and brother were in broke a rear CV, and then
another. With the stress of trying to make it out with less traction, and a
few more “cowboy” type maneuvers, a tie rod broke. With only two wheel drive
and no ability to steer, the Prowler wasn’t going anywhere.
With no other
options, Aaron broke out the “welder” and went to work on the tie rod.
There is no way a tie rod welded together at the break would hold, so a
splint was fashioned to give the tie rod some strength. Aaron welded on a
bolt and a screwdriver, and they were back in business.
Still a few
miles from the trailhead, they weren’t home free. Front wheel drive might
get you out if you are on a logging road, but there were still plenty of
boulders on this part of the trail that a UTV with two wheel drive just
can’t climb. With a tow strap hooked from their Rhino to the Prowler, they
were able to bang and bounce their way back to the trailer.
One thing
Aaron’s dad Bruce learned on the trip is too much air pressure in your tires
may save you from blowing a bead, but the added stress of less traction will
take its’ toll on other parts of the vehicle.
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