Trail Parts Donation

Lost a drive shaft on Walker Hill

The Rubicon Trail Foundation started a Trail Parts Program in 2021, and the response to donate parts was overwhelming, in a good way.

Under this program, we request both stock takeoff parts and/or aftermarket parts that are known to break and parts that are needed to get affected Rubicon trail users off the trail. An example of parts that are needed include items like axle shafts, drive shafts, and steering boxes. When these items break, you are not getting off the trail without a repair or recovery. Not all parts are created equal. Meaning, that the types of items that break but are not imperative to get someone off the trail include items like shocks, springs, etc.

For the sake of full transparency, this program takes your donated parts but we request a fee from the Rubicon Trail user in need for the part. Why do we charge? For this program to be successful, it takes a lot of coordination to obtain the parts from the person donating them, transport the parts to the trail, and coordinate both the delivery and the pickup of the parts to the affected Rubicon Trail user while on the trail. We also use the funds to purchase parts that are needed but, historically, have not been donated. For example, RTF will purchase steering boxes, u-joints, and other items not currently in stock from our donations. Last, our mid-trail staff are usually the folks who coordinate the pickup and dropoff of the parts to the affected Rubicon Trail users in need. Our mid-trail staff tries their best to be available on the HAM Repeater or the GMRS Repeater to listen for vehicles that need assistance. If RTF has the part, our mid-trail staff will try their best to figure out how to get the part to you. Therefore, a portion of the funds received when a donated part is purchased from the Trail Parts Program is used to fund the salary of our mid-trail staff.

For any used parts that are purchased through this program, the trail user has the option to receive a 50% refund of the purchase price. However, the trail user is required to either personally deliver or ship the part back to an RTF director within 30 days.

The delivery of parts starts with you! Are you upgrading parts? Got useful used parts lying around? Rubicon Trail Foundation has created a form to submit your parts to us. We'll review our current inventory and the needs of the part and let you know.

Used drive line delivered to Walker Hill