Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Everything you ever wanted to know about canned hams but were afraid to ask.

Bring your best questions, and your best information and post it here...

Mike..

It's a lot like Spam, only from Holland.




I am pretty sure my next build will be a canned ham. I love the retro late 40's early 50's look. I'm sure as with most of the additions to the forum this will be a big success too Mike.

What counts as a canned ham?

My opinions...a rounded shape with flat sides, can stand in it, room to sit as well or dinette, and at least room for a small galley. For those of you that haven't built one....it's a fun build, and pretty nice in crappy weather. Doug

I don't want to step on any toes.... I know typically that this site is about "building" trailers.... Is this forum for build only or is it ok to start a thread and toss around pics of rebuilding manufactured vintage canned hams too?

Wimperdink wrote:I don't want to step on any toes.... I know typically that this site is about "building" trailers.... Is this forum for build only or is it ok to start a thread and toss around pics of rebuilding manufactured vintage canned hams too?

You mean something like this?

This forum is for Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers. Even though several on this board think everyone should build, that's not what this forum is about. It's all about Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers weather you bought or built.

It really urks me when someone new comes on board and ask what members think about a particular mfg'd teardrop and there will be 5 responses on why they should build and not buy. And the original question doesn't even get answered.

Wimperdink wrote:I don't want to step on any toes.... I know typically that this site is about "building" trailers.... Is this forum for build only or is it ok to start a thread and toss around pics of rebuilding manufactured vintage canned hams too?

...this site is all and everything pertaining to building/using/buying/restoring Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers(and a few other things)...so, if it fits then just go ahead and try it on...and if it doesn't fit, well ol' Gage will just let ya know about it
madjack

I had to blink my eyes a couple times seeing the "Canned Ham" section! Way to go Mike! Ok so I have this trailer and wanted to discuss how to renovate the belly pan area by adding a fresh water and grey tank on each side of the tube frame.


Just kidding, I was just testing what Gage was going to say about my canned ham. This is the family size canned ham portion.

doug hodder wrote:My opinions...a rounded shape with flat sides, can stand in it, room to sit as well or dinette, and at least room for a small galley. For those of you that haven't built one....it's a fun build, and pretty nice in crappy weather. Doug

Perhaps a trailer 15 feet or less from tongue to rear.

Steve_Cox wrote:It's a lot like Spam, only from Holland.

It could be a canned spam...

LOL

Cliff...you don't have a canned meat product...you have canned baked goods...a Twinkie! Doug

doug hodder wrote:Cliff...you don't have a canned meat product...you have canned baked goods...a Twinkie! Doug

The Curtis Wright does look like a big aluminum Twinkie

Gage wrote:It really urks me when someone new comes on board and ask what members think about a particular mfg'd teardrop and there will be 5 responses on why they should build and not buy. And the original question doesn't even get answered.

Just wanted to propose a slight modification to this New Section's name.

Why not call this "Canned Hams Etc," or "Canned Hams et al." or
"Canned Hams and Restorations", or "Canned Hams, BreadLoaves and
"Aircraft Style [or Construction]" or some such combo? It seems a
lot of members have these as well as TDs and TTTs and a lot are
restoring them as well.

Not trying to be "funny" here, just more inclusive or descriptive.

The idea being: That as an extension of T&TTT, any info posted in this
section, that we can glean from the posts on other "types" of TTs,
especially vintage ones and their restoration, is directly usable for any
one who may be building a TD or TTT, even if only as inspiration.
Besides, I find any such info just interesting enough in itself.

My understanding of the main TT types are:

Canned Hams: Flat side walls, 'curved' ends, especially some kind of
ovoid or rounded shape to the side profile, more representative of the
50s styles; but can include the more flattened/designed ["Modern"]
ends from the 60s-70s-80s on as a subcategory, since the
emphasis is on flat sidewalls and non-flat end walls primarily.

Modern: It could be argued that a "True" Canned Ham is the curved/ovoid
ends profile and the flatter/designed ended profiles could be designated
as the "Modern" profile.

Bread Loaves: More typically from 30s, 40s and early 50s styles. The
main qualifier for this category would be a radius-ed roof edge or joining
of the side walls and roof, using, especially, a larger radius on all four
walls. [A 3-4 inch radius wouldn't be included as that's more of a joining
method as opposed to being part of the Bread Loaf style.]

Aircraft Style/Construction: Simply the TT body is built like or using
aircraft type construction techniques, especially if the aluminum skin
is part of a riveted monocoque structure/body. [Airstream, Avion, Boles
Aero, Curtis-Wright etc.]

"Sub Types": I'd include here 5th Wheels, Toy-Haulers, Living Quarters
Horse Trailers, Telescoping hard walled TTs, Expanding TTs, Molded
Fiberglass TTs etc..

TDs & TTTs are already their own defacto category
or sub type by virtue of being the main focus of the forum/site.

And of course there will be "Hybrids" of any or all of these types:
e.g., Boles Areo are Canned Ham/Modern/Aircraft, Streamline could be a
Bread Loaf/Aircraft, Shastas can be Canned Ham and Modern both etc..

I Just thought that slightly modifying the name to include the other
main types could be more useful for posters and users and not expand
the category/divisions of the forum too much. -Or- Keep 'Canned Hams'
alone and add another category for all the rest if you want to keep to a
stricter Canned Hams only.

Norm/mezmo

Gage wrote:You mean something like this?

Yes... Thats exactly the stuff I was looking for when I tore into mine. There just isn't enough detailed pics out there to show the tough stuff that you wind up with when you tear into one of these.

Wimperdink wrote: Yes... Thats exactly the stuff I was looking for when I tore into mine. There just isn't enough detailed pics out there to show the tough stuff that you wind up with when you tear into one of these.

Well, I kept posting my web page off and on letting people know where I was with the refurb and where to go for more detail pics. But no one asked any questions. There has only been two of us that I know of besides yourself that have restored a 'canham'. Then you have Doug who built one from the ground up. All three are in the 'Build Journals' Section. here's a couple more pics on how I fixed the rear end of the Field and Stream.