The "Whetzeldorf"
If only I had a bigger car I'd be patiently waiting for my new trailer to be built. This is exactly what I wanted! It's a tiny canned ham style trailer (aptly named because the shape of them is like a canned ham) that had been almost impossible to find. Most canned hams measure 6'x10' to 7'x14'. But I wanted something much smaller. I wanted a canned ham that was no more than 5'x8' and less than 81" high so it would fit in my garage when not in use. The Whetzeldorf comes in at 80" high with an interior height of 5'4" high which is perfect for me because I'm only 5'2". I'd finally found the perfect trailer!
The Whetzeldorf is a tiny canned ham full of amenities and a full sized bed!
Excitedly I emailed Dan at Whetzel Trace Travelers in Indiana and asked lots of questions like what was his lead time and could I give him custom plans for a more simple interior design with no appliances like the stove, fridge or air conditioner? And could he make it more narrow by one foot because 4'x8' would be even better for me than 5' wide.
He messaged back that everything would work, the height, his timeline, he was open to a custom interior design. . . except for one major thing that I didn't think would even be an issue: The trailer would be too heavy for my car to tow :( Turns out that even though a 10'-13' compact Shasta brand trailer weighs in at around 1000-1300 lbs, the Whetzeldorf also weighs in at over 1000 lbs. I think the main reason is there are two ways to build a trailer: As light as possible or with as much craftsmanship and high quality materials as possible. Turns out Dan builds his for quality so though I assumed a trailer that was 30% less in size would equate to weighing an equal amount less than a standard canned ham, turns out that wasn't the case.
A 1959 Metzendorf on ebay.
The way I found Whetzel Trace Tavelers was by stumbling upon this vintage Metzendorf trailer on ebay. This is what those in the travel trailer circles would call a "total restoration" project. LOL. Metzendorfs are unique in that they are the only brand of canned hams that was intentionally made short enough to fit in a home garage. The auction is almost over, in fact there's less than a half hour to go so if you've been itching to restore a vintage Metzendorf CLICK HERE.
So for now, my dream of buying or building a mini canned ham is on hold. This was how I'd been picturing it in my head. Super small 4'x8' and 64" high with branding for The Flirty Blog.
But I've been on the fence about the branding. It's great for publicity exposure but not so great on privacy. . .
So this is my new goal, back to my idea of a tiny teardrop trailer that is 4'x6' and comes in at 62" high on the outside and 47" on the interior.
It's also unbranded for now. I'll have to wait and see if I want to add my blog address on later.
It's so small I am seriously planning on building it myself at TechShop with the help of some friends who know what they're doing. I just need to iron out all of the design ideas so that I can place the proper reinforcements where they'll be needed when I begin the build stage.
In the coming weeks I'll be starting with a MIG Welding class so that I can even build my trailer frame from scratch.
I'll keep you posted as it moves along.
And you can see some of my favorite tiny trailers on my Pinterest board by CLICKING HERE.
In Dec. 2012 I hired a builder to build my dream trailer for me. It's a mini canned ham even smaller than the Whetzeldorf and weighs in just over 500 lbs because we used a welded tube steel frame and rigid foam board for the walls. The lightweight means my car can tow it!
To follow my entire build thread from beginning to end just click on the "Trailer - Build" category on the side bar or CLICK HERE.
To view all of my trailer gear and decorating posts CLICK HERE.
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