Help Me Build Mobile Oven

[Oven_Man]

Hi All
Glad to have found this forum. Everyone is so helpful.

I am deciding to take my recently found hobby of Pizza Making to a new level and turn it out into a business however opening up a shop would involve capital and man power both of which I do not have right now but look at doing so in the future.

I am toying with the idea of a Mobile Pizza Oven. The advantage is I could go to parties, fairs and such places to sell my Pizza's and the business should take of from there. I have come across many threads whereby guys were also thinking of building their own Mobile Ovens but I notice that none of them ever showed the final outcome or maybe they have and I was too blind to see it. Never the less, I am no engineer neither do I have experience in construction work however when I do have a passion and mindset for something I tend to "Bend over Backwards" as they say to make sure I get the task at hand completed successfully.

Is there anyone out there that has built an oven from scratch onto a trailer or any other mobile station, and can point me in the right direction. I am willing to put in the hard work but I need the guidance to do so and as I can see everyone here is really helpful so I am sure I wont go wrong.

Like every project there needs to be a plan which I don't have so I will work on putting one together with you'll s help and take it from there one step at a time. This will surely be the road to success.

Looking forward to everyone's comments
Regards
Oven_Man

[dmun]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Generally speaking, successful mobile ovens use modular ovens. Having a half a dozen units to vibrate apart is safer than having a couple hundred.

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

There a bunches of folks out there with all kinds of wonderful contraptions...
This is a small sampling. Not one brick among them.

On trucks -
home
Old World Pizza Truck - 877-318-0336

On covered trailers-
Welcome to Inferno Catering

Trailers -
Portable Brick Pizza Oven THE NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDED PORTABLE OPERATION (STAYING ON JAMES' GOOD SIDE FOR ONCE.)
Fired Up To Go! Wood-Fired Oven Sales

[Mitchamus]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

the truck is awesome.

Here's another one:
Big green truck pizza

Oops! that was your first link pizza police - sorry.

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi Guys
Thanks so much for all responses.

Dmun, with regards to a Modular Oven, I am quite illiterate when it comes to all these terminologies but I did try to Google it but not much turned up. My basic understanding is that the Oven is made with very few components so to say. If you don't mind, can you elaborate further on this point. I guess thats a good starting point for me to learn more about modular ovens and how to build them. I can see a long and hard adventure in getting this mobile unit built and I'll need all the help I can get, which I am certain, thanks to you guys wont be a problem.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone.
Regards
Oven_Man

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi again
I'm sure there must be someone in here that can help me start this project.
If I can start out by getting direction into the type of oven I need to build as well as instructions on building this oven, I guess I can worry about getting it onto a trailer later but for now I need some more info on Modular Ovens.

Any assistance that can at least get me started would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Oven_Man

[dmun]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

I'm always hesitant to talk about things I don't know about. You could start by clicking on the banner at top of the page, and read about the Forno Bravo lines of modular ovens, then call them up and discuss any particular concerns you may have for your mobile application.

Again, modular ovens and mobile ovens are pretty far from my area of expertise.

[david s]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

My mobile oven is small. It weighs about 170Kgs rolls on and off the trailer with ease and will cook 15- 20 pizzas 9 (one at a time) in an hour before recharging with fire. The cast dome is one piece as is the floor. This is an advantage with a mobile oven as there are less pieces to vibrate apart.

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi Guys
Thanks so much for the responses.

Dmun: I have read on Modular Ovens even though not much info is available but what I understand so far is that Modular Ovens are manufactured from refractory material. What I don't understand is what makes it different from other ovens out there.

David, If I plan to build an oven like yours, but something more larger (Bake 3 Pizza's at a time) as well as running the oven for 12 hours straight, what sort of oven would you suggest. I know there is plenty of ovens out there but that's just the problem. There are so many and so much info that I just don't know where to start. If I can at least find a starting point like for e.g the type of oven I want to build then i can improvise later on making it lighter and mobile.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys
Regards
Oven_man

[dmun]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

My oven is extremely fragile, more so than a pompeii. It would crumble instantly in a mobile situation. Put the geodesic idea out of your mind.

The refractory material that modular ovens are made of is much the same as firebrick, but they are formed and fired in large oven-shaped segments. Anyone who has done anything with large scale pottery knows that this is a non-trivial exercise and that's why they are expensive. The difference between these, and brick built ovens, is that there are few joints, and those that exist are not structural, the oven would hold together without any mortar at all.

Another advantage of factory built ovens is that they have UL certification, and may be easier to get past the board of health, if you are in the business of selling pizza. You will have a lot of hoops to jump through on that front, one less worry is worth paying for.

One final note, if a pizza cooks in a minute or so, you're hard put to cook more than one at a time, unless you have separate crews for pizza building and oven wrangling. Baking in a WFO is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of operation. Oven weight increases exponentially with and increase in diameter. You may be better served with a smaller oven in a mobile catering situation.

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi Dmun
Thanks for the response

The refractory material that modular ovens are made of is much the same as firebrick, but they are formed and fired in large oven-shaped segments. Anyone who has done anything with large scale pottery knows that this is a non-trivial exercise and that's why they are expensive. The difference between these, and brick built ovens, is that there are few joints, and those that exist are not structural, the oven would hold together without any mortar at all.

What sort of oven design would you suggest I follow that caters for a solid oven even though it maybe a time consuming exercise, I don't mind trying it?

Unfortunately for me to buy a factory built oven is not much of an option. Other than the price tag that comes with it, I can't seem to find one locally. That's the reason, my only option is to build one myself.

I am so sure there are step by step instructions on a design that caters for the oven I am looking for. I will just have to proportionately build it to the required size and also look at ways of attaching it to a trailer.

Regards
Oven_Man

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi Guys

David: I may have found a supplier of an oven that is fairly light (approx 160-170 KG), is made out of refractory material and can be built to the size I require.

Only problem is it's not mobile.
That's where I need your assistance.
Can you give me more in site onto how you attached wheels to your oven as the oven I am looking to purchase would be built to my specification and I could always ask the manufacturer to attach these wheel in the way that you advise. I guess once I have wheels, rolling it off and on the trailer wont be a problem and would make the oven fairly mobile for me to move around.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Regards
Oven_Name

[david s]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Check out my set up on p 12 Finished ovens. I used a lightweight Hebel (aerated, reinforced concrete base held by a steel cradle sitting on a wooden trolley. The wheels are not castors and wont turn. This is an advantage because the trolley has to move forward and backward and castors only like to move in one direction. I level, raise and lower the trailer with the jockey wheel.

[david s]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

I easily roll the oven on and off the trailer on my own and then the trailer is free to use for other stuff.

[Oven_Man]

Re: Help Me Build Mobile Oven

Hi David.
I looked at the pics.
I have a few questions.

I notice that the base of your oven has handles on it. That portion that the handles are attached to, is metal right. Can you give me more info as to what that is and if you have a pic of it showing that portion in detail, it would be great.

I also notice that the part I am talking about above sits onto a wooden board. What is that board and can you detail me a bit on it.

Finally I can see the wheels attached to the wooden board. That looks quite straight forward.

I have never heard of a Jockey wheel before so I have Googled it and found some info on it. What type of Jockey wheel do you have? I notice that many people use it for trailers. How did you incorporate yours into the oven. Sorry If I am asking a dumb question. I just never heard of this before so It's something totally new to me.

I look forward to hearing from you
Regards
Oven_Man