Category Archives: Open Range

Bring more fun along with you.

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Open Range Rolling Thunder Toy Haulers at Lerch RV

RVing allows you to go out across the country and bring all the comfort and necessities of home with you. While you may have room for a lot of your things in your RV, you probably have more things that you would like to take on the road with you.  This is especially true if you own an ATV, golf cart, motorcycle, or any other small vehicle that you want to enjoy at your next camp site.  Even if you don’t own one of these things, you may simply want more room for lounging or simply extra storage to give you more living room in your RV.  Well, one way to achieve this is to get a toy hauler.

Toy haulers were originally built to help carry motorcycles, ATV’s, and your other “toys.”  While you can still get a lot of functionality out of using a toy hauler this way, many new toy haulers are designed to be extra living or dining rooms, as well as holding an extra bed for anyone else you want to bring with you on your RV adventure.  Toy haulers are a great way to get more out of your RV without having to upgrade to a whole new rig.  A toy hauler can act like adding a new room or wing to your house.  Most people like to have a multipurpose room at home.  A toy hauler is the answer to this room in the RVing world.

If you are looking to do more on your future camping trips, then a toy hauler is a great way to allow you to bring more things along with you, giving you more possibilities on the road.  If you’re a biker who wants to go to Sturgis, but doesn’t want to stay in a crowded motel, simply load in your hog and camp a few miles outside of town and ride your bike to the Buffalo Chip each day.  If you are looking for new ATV paths, go out and find them quickly and easily.  Toy haulers allow you to bring your favorite hobby, no matter how big or small, on the road with you.If you have questions about toy haulers or are looking for a new RV to tow them with, then be sure to stop by your central PA RV Dealer.

Open Range Rolling Thunder H397 RGR Toy Hauler at Lerch RV

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Turn, Turn, Turn. The Open Range Light story.

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I am still amazed when I recall what I witnessed the day when our first 2012 Open Range Light LF297 was picked up by its new owner. When it was time for the customer to leave we put the truck, which happened to be a Ford F150 Super Crew with a 5.5′ bed, and the trailer through a series of turning radius tests. The distance from the front cap of the fifth wheel and the rear cap of the pick up is substantial enough to allow true 90 degree turning. Take a look at Lerch RV’s YouTube video depicting that radius testing. Keep in mind that the Open Range Light is truly a half ton tow-able fifth wheel. And with the innovative front camp design and hitch pin placement, you can tow this beauty with just a standard fifth wheel hitch installed in your tow vehicle. No need for a sliding fifth wheel hitch (slider) or any other special modifications need to be made.

The Light is another great innovative idea from the Open Range RV company. The Light product line includes the above  pictured LF297RLS, LF289RES and the LF305BHS (bunk model with outside kitchen). There is also a travel trailer in the mix as well, the LT252FLR. So if you are driving a half ton tow vehicle and are looking for a truly unique fifth wheel to camp in, look no further than the Open Range Light. And if you happen to have a 5.5′ short bed truck and want a fifth wheel camper, the Light is especially for you! You can have full size fifth wheel fun in a half ton tow-able package, without missing anything.  All the features that you require in an exciting package.

The Open Range Light fifth wheel campers and travel trailers are available at Pennsylvania’s largest Open Range RV Dealer, Lerch RV. Located in Milroy, which is one hour west of Harrisburg and thirty minutes southeast of State College, the home of Penn State University. For more information on the Open Range Light, please contact us.

A few tips to keep Ants from Invading your RV…

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Ants marching toward Lerch RV, how to keep ants from invading your RV/Camper...

When you are RVing at a campground or boon docking in the wilderness, you are susceptible to all kinds of insects and animals.

Ants are one of the more aggravating creatures to invade a RV, fortunately they are easy to get rid of. RV Travel shares this advice for us.

We woke up in our RV one fine morning with an upset cat. A large, black, moving column of ants, working its way across the RV from a crack near the entry door, across the flooring, up the wall cabinet, and into the kitchen sink. Hundreds of the little buggers, all intent on carrying away whatever it is that struck their fancy.

ANTS ARE CLEVER CREATURES – they send out scouts who scurry about the territory, looking for suitable food and water sources. If one crawls up your RV tire, water hose or power cable and eventually finds something inside your rig, he or she leaves a little smell trail of pheromones. Your proboscis won’t pick up on it, but to the ants, it’s an irresistible essence that must be followed — by hundreds of the scout’s fellows.

For whatever reason, ants won’t cross a line of bleach-containing scouring powder. Maybe it kills the pheromone trail, maybe it burns their little feet, we don’t know.

In any event, get out the Comet and shake a good border around everything of your rig that touches the ground: Tires, landing gear, stabilizers, cords, and hoses. This is better than spraying insecticide on these utilities, because the powdered cleanser will simply shake off, not stick to your hands, nor cause grief for pets and kids.

Of course, if the rains fall you may need to renew your magic circle, but while the powder’s out, the ants are gone.

This is a pretty easy fix. I wish it was this easy to repel other bugs or animals like, say, bears!

No, bears are nothing to laugh at. Now you should be equipped with some ant knowledge and some “bear” knowledge.

What more do you need? A new RV you say? We can equip you with that too!

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RV life and us, and the people along the way, Thank You

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I recently came across this post on a blog called “Why RV?”  I found the article to be interesting and wanted to share it with my readers. I think it really describes the join and kindness that goes hand in hand with the RVing lifestyle.  Where else can you throw a huge group of people from all walks of life into boxes and put them side by side, and everyone still has a great weekend.  If you have any experiences to share please comment below.  And as usual Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Although we are only 6 years into our camping life,  we have met some wonderful people and had some great times.  And also have spent lots of money we didn’t have,  too.   We are on our 3rd RV already,  and looking for our 4th. We see older ones that are being used that shows the love people have for their Rv’s.  Some of these RV’s look better than brand new high-end diesel pushers.   There are a lot  of people out there that are perfectly fine with what they have. There are those that live full-time in their RV’s.
Those that have seasonal sites.
Those that just use theirs on weekends.
Those that use it weekends and a family vacation here and there.  (This is the group we fall into.)
I respect all and every RVer,  or do we call them/us campers.  Is there a difference?  Some people will say the only camping is tent camping.  Well, my back can’t take tent camping anymore.  So,  I prefer to do my “camping”in an RV.

The people Along The Way

RVers,  or campers,  are just about the friendliest group of people you will meet.  If there is a newbie in the campground,  rest assured,  help is only a fire ring away.
Even if your dog lifts his leg on a fellow camper,  there’s a good chance even the victim will get a good laugh over it.  Yes,  Our Bull Mastiff did this to our neighbor 1 weekend..
But I think the most interesting,  and friendliest couple we ever met while camping,  was a couple we met during our first year of camping.  the husband was retired,  and his wife was a school teacher who was retiring either that year or the next.    That would make it 05 or 06.  I think they were from St Louis. Missouri.
It went down something like this.  We pulled in to Sun Valley campground near Morgantown, Pa on Friday.  There was a Bounder Motor home already next to us.  Later I noticed a small grill on the picnic table.  The grill was smoking for hours.   I told Kim that maybe they went away and forgot about it.   No worries,  if they weren’t planning on eating,  then I would have handled that.  Boy did that smell great.  Found out later it was 2 HUGE steaks,  he was cooking slow.
Anyway,  eventually,  a tall thin man with dirty gray hair and beard emerged.  Grabbed his food,  said hello, and went back in to enjoy their meal.
Later,  him and his wife,  a shorter woman,  with long dark hair,  came out and introduced themselves.   Now,  here’s a coupe in their mid 60’s,  and we are in our mid 30’s at the time.   We talked for hours.  They told us about their travels,  about Silver Dollar City,  about their kids,  and that they were on their way to their daughter’s house in Philly.
The man,  I’m terrible with names,  sorry,  And I talked for hours while Kim and his wife also conversed.
This couple touched our lives,  and  they have no clue.   They made us realize just what RVing is all about.  Here’s a retired couple,  from halfway across the country,  and for a weekend,  they are our neighbors.  Our closest friends.  Then,  all of a sudden,  that is the last you ever know of them.  The memory remains.  And what is RVing and camping all about.  Making memories.

So,  if anyone runs into an African-American couple,  now around 70,   from Missouri,  he was tall with greyish hair and beard,  she was short,  with long dark hair,  and a retired school teacher,  driving a 1996 Bounder in great shape.  PLEASE tell them,  their weekend friends from Sun Valley Campground in PA in 2005 said hello!

Thank You.

Happy Camping Everyone
Check out Camping Pa and follow me and other members on the forums.

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A blast from the past in the RVing lifestyle.

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It’s easy to expect a lot from today’s RVs.

Internet connections, flat screen televisions, pillow top mattresses, and porcelain toilets may seem like a must to you now.  That’s what makes it so much fun to see where RVing came from.  I am still amazed every year when the latest and greatest designs come out from the leading RV manufactures.  It is easy to forget that there was a time when having a trailer with electricity was a big deal and some thought border-line insane.  Well, allow us take a look way back to the year 1937.  The country was in the middle of the Great Depression, and that meant that more and more people were taking to a life on the road to find the American Dream.

The YouTube clip below is a great way at appreciating all the hard work and ingenuity that has gone into designing and making everything that goes into RVs today.

So next time you are out driving and you get mad that you have no cell phone signal, just be thankful that you have a cell phone in the first place.  If you want to see what new technology is packed into the RVs of today or see what is going to be the RV of the future, then be sure to come to Lerch RV.  We have been selling the latest and greatest campers for over 34 years.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Dog Days of Summer got you down? Let us help…

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Lerch RV Dog Days of Summer, Great RV prices!

The internet defines the term Dog Days of Summer as this:

“Dog Days” (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer.  The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown hop[citation needed] at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

The Dog Days of Summer are also defined as a period of stagnation. Your Central PA RV Dealer has been anything but stagnant this Summer. Our travel trailer and 5th wheel inventory is ever-changing.  Do not miss out on your new RV.  Why waste time and money heading to large high pressure RV Show, when you can come browse our lot at your leisure with no pressure.  I can guarantee you will not have a sales person breathing down your neck or stalking you on our lot.  Our entire inventory is open and available to you.  Just another way we continue to make buying easy for our customers.

Officially Summer is drawing to a close, even though the heat and humidity will continue to vex the Northeast for some time to come.  To help our customers beat the heat, Lerch RV continues to offer low cool Summer prices!

If you are looking for a new travel trailer or fifth wheel, please visit Pennsylvania’s largest travel trailer.  And if you are looking for a pre-owned camper, Lerch RV has those a great selection of those too.  Come visit our central PA dealership location and beat the heat.  Our prices are so low, they will make you shiver.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer…Safe travels and Happy RVing!

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Get the best camp site with these great camping tips.

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Toy Hauler from Open Range purchased from Lerch RV

No matter how nice a camp ground is, it can all be ruined if you are stuck with a bad spot to stay in.  So what is the most ideal spot to park your rig and enjoy the camp ground to its fullest.  There are a lot of factors to take into consideration, and you may not always be able to do all of them, but if you follow some simple guidelines, your camping experience will be a lot less about complaining about your surroundings, and more about having fun.

Here are some tips from RV Basics for what to look for when choosing where to park your RV for camping….

  • If you’ve arrived at an unfamiliar campground ask the campground hosts for a detailed map and have a quick drive or hike around and make a list of some possible campsite locations.
  • Do not take a site that has camping items but no vehicle as it could belong to RV owners who aren’t on site for the day.
  • Always arrive ear;y if possible. You can rest assured the best campsites will be taken if you arrive late in the afternoon.
  • Camp at least 200-300 feet away from water, this keeps you out of traffic zone and bug free.
  • Make sure there are trees to hang your garbage and food up wind outside of camp.
  • Set up camp away from other campers and away from any trails.
  • If you love the idea of waking up in a warm location set up camp under the morning sun. You will also have the advantage of being shielded from hot sun later in the day.
  • Avoid setting up camp in tall grassy locations as they are a wonderland for insects.
  • Never camp at the bottom of cliffs with loose rocks.
  • Become familiar with flora and avoid all areas with poison ivy.
  • Get the best protection from lightning by camping near a dense grouping of trees, all the same height in a low area away from water.
  • Make sure the site is large enough to meet all your needs.
  • Think about what would happen to your site in the event of a storm.
  • Consider the location of bathroom facilities (if applicable).
  • Water is absolutely critical for camping. You will need it for washing, drinking and cooking so ensure that you have a water source nearby to your camp site.
  • If rain is expected locate your campsite in a flood free area.
  • Never modify an area by removing vegetation and rocks to create the perfect campsite. The perfect campsite is never created by man but has already been made by Mother Nature.
  • Find an area free of tree roots and rocks. If you’ve found the perfect location but there’s a problem with small rocks gently rake them away to create a smooth level for sleeping on.
  • Never camp on a ridge. You are too exposed to severe wind and lightning conditions.
  • Avoid sharing a site with campers who are not part of your group. There’s plenty of land to go around and every camper is entitled to some personal space.

There are more great tips in the article, and they will all make your camping trip a lot more enjoyable. If you are looking for a new RV to take camping, then check out our awesome selection at Pennsylvania’s largest Keystone RV and Open Range Dealership, Lerch RV…

Outback RV camper bought at Lerch RV

Protecting your Fur-child from harm while RVing.

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Camping is for the dogs at Lerch RV

Camping is for the dogs...

RVing/camping is a family experience, and that includes our furry friends or better known to some as our ‘fur-children’.  If you RV with a pet, then you know how much they add to the camping experience.  Whether it is added security, or just a reliable companion, your pets need to be protected as much as possible.  While there are many things to take into consideration when caring for your pets on the road while traveling, there are three main concerns that you must keep in mind at all times.

Here’s the big three pet dangers from RV Basics:

      1. Disease
        Perhaps the top danger of the road is disease. Regardless of what type of pet a person brings with them, that pet comes in contact with a wide variety of germs, most of which the pet’s immune system has no resistance against. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to completely circumvent this danger, especially with animals like dogs, which tend to have a very curious nature. The best a watchful owner can do is make certain that the drinking water and food being supplied is fortified with vitamins and minerals. Many brands of pet food offer ‘Immunity’ lines, which offer food especially designed to enhance the pet’s immune system. This does not mean that it is permissible for a pet owner to neglect their pet’s health; animals should still be kept under a watchful eye, especially when in outdoor areas, and animal feces should be cleaned quickly from the RV, or other areas where the pet might stay. It is also important that owners know where the nearest vet is in the event of a pet emergency.
      2. Aggressive Behavior
        A close second in way of dangers is other animals. While any animal can be targeted by aggression from strays, predators, or prey, dogs and cats that have not been neutered are most susceptible to the dangers of other animals of the same species, as they tend to attract members of the opposite gender. This can lead to complications such as pregnancy in female animals, or fights for dominance in the case of male animals. In order to circumvent this, it is highly advisable that road-ready pet owners make a point of spaying or neutering their pets. If this is not a viable action, use excessive restraint and caution when in areas that other animals frequent. With all pets, neutered or natural, it is advisable to keep them on leashes, and keep a close eye on all suspicious activities within the surrounding area. An alert owner is often the best preventative measure against harm to their pet.
      3. Dehydration
        Finally, the third most prevalent danger on the road is dehydration. While the air conditioning may make an RV comfortable while people are in it, many turn off the engine to save gas and battery life while inside stores, or stopped for the night. At times, this can create an extremely hot and dry atmosphere, causing havoc on a pet’s body. Any time a pet must be left alone in an RV, it is important to make sure that they have plenty of water available. To this end, non-spill designed bottles are often recommended.

The above list is not necessarily in numerical order. There are many more things to be concerned with, I just thought to point out what I believe to be the top three while camping.  Please keep your furry family member safe at all times. So be sure to keep your pets healthy and happy, and it is sure to make your life on the road a lot better as well.  If you are looking for a new travel trailer or fifth wheel dealer that is pet friendly, be sure to check out Pennsylvania’s largest travel trailer dealer, Lerch RV.

Safe travels and Happy RVing!

Civil War 150th Anniversary Photo Contest

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Civil War Trust Photo Contest
It has been 150 years since the opening shots of the Civil War sounded, and since then snapshots of the battlefields have transported people into history, inspiring many to visit these sites, to walk on holy ground. The Civil War Trust is looking for today’s best photos of these sites during its 2011 Annual Photography Contest, currently underway through August 21,2011. Winners will be announced in September. Please visit www.civilwar.org/photos for rules and full details about the photo contest.

Many civil war sites offer great RV and camper parking.  Although some battlefields require auto tours, so making those in a motor-home could be cumbersome to say the least. However you travel and enjoy the RVing lifestyle. Please take time to visit these great places that helped to shape our nation.  And while you are there, stop for a moment to think about the thousands of men and women, that gave their lives during these great conflicts. And also for the ones who continue to do so till this day.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

Fence Row

Let us help you find the cheapest gas in town in one click…

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Gas Buddy.com logoWhile gas prices are starting to slip from the nearly $4.00 national average, they are still quite high, and no one knows this more than an RVer.  Whether you are towing your camper or driving your car, when you are filling up at the gas station and those numbers keep on spinning by, you wonder if there was cheaper gas just around the corner.  Well, you can take that guess-work away with the help of a very useful website.

Gasbuddy.com is a great resource for any driver, but it will come especially useful to RVers who are driving through new areas without the knowledge of knowing where the cheapest gas in town usually is.  It works like Google Maps or Mapquest, all you have to do is enter the ZIP code into the box and it will bring up the gas prices in the area. There is an iPhone app also.

The only snag will be that it posts the prices from the last 48 hours, so there may be a small dip or rise in price, but it is great at giving you a general idea of which stations offer the best prices.  Next time you are in a new town while going across the country, this website will become an invaluable tool to help save you a little green during the busy travel season. You can even try using it  in your home town, it is very accurate as well.

So do not worry about not always getting the best fuel price,   just remember to keep making those family memories by enjoying the RVing lifestyle. Keep camping and do not let the summer pass you by.  And while you are out and about, feel free to stop by Pennsylvania’s largest tow-able travel trailer dealership, Lerch RV.

gas buddy.com screen shot