Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

[kkgator]

I recently purchased a Professionale 120 TE(trailer Edition) oven from FB. I will be building and attaching this oven to a mobile trailer which will be built by a local trailer manufacturer. I've been a member of the boards now for close to 3 years with limited posts. My journey started here wanting to build an oven in my backyard and ended up with me adding an oven to a trailer for catering purposes which is what I do in my day job.

There is a ton of great information on here & I hope to be able to share my experiences on the board while building this oven. I am assembling different trades to help with certain aspects (stucco, stainless steel work) in order to make the trailer as professional as possible. I have limited building experience & hope that some forum members will be able to provide guidance & ideas if needed.

My first few hurdles involve the directions for building the oven:
"Lay insulating boards on hearth & spread a thin layer of sand on top of boards."

Okay, first question is how thick should my hearth be considering that I need to keep the weight down because it is going on a trailer?

I also realize that I am going to need to build a tray to build the oven in which will eventually be attached/welded to the trailer. More questions on this to follow.

Second question is what type of sand should I be spreading and how thin is thin?

[david s]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

I have no idea how heavy the 120 TE is, so it is difficult to make a recommendation, but if it were mine I would be making the structural slab as strong as I could, but only where it bears the weight. This can be achieved by place some polystyrene on your steel tray and then placing the reinforced, well vibrated and accurately measured concrete over it. I used Reinforced Hebel (aerated concrete) for my mobile oven in an effort to reduce weight and at the same time provide floor insulation. If doing another I would not use this stuff again because it has cracked.
I think you should contact FB directly as they are the manufacturers and the oven is specifically designed for a trailer.
The sand between the insulation and the floor bricks can be of any type. It's purpose is only to take up any difference in the thickness of the floor bricks so you end up with a level floor. Usually the mix is 50/50 sand, clay applied dry or wet. The only thing holding it in position is gravity so for a mobile I think it is better to apply it wet otherwise vibration will move it around.

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Thanks for the info. The oven specs say that the weight is 2100LBS or roughly 550 kilos. I have scoured the boards looking for someone else who has built a trailer but they are few & far between. I did stumble upon someone who built his oven from scratch & attached it to a trailer but while they are similar overall builds the devil is in the details. I am also looking at "The Fire Within " trailers as a reference point as well. Hopefully the journey won't be frought with many perils.

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Received my Profesionale 120 TE on Tuesday. I did not un-crate it as we have had several weeks of rain, so I have just covered with a tarp & hope to inventory the "goodies" this week-end.

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

My trailer is going to body & paint this coming Friday which means hopefully that I should be able to start building the oven next week. The trailer mfg wanted a piece of the FB board in order to set it flush in the trailer. I opened my crate yesterday which has been under tarp all month to find some water damage of the 1st box of FB board. An edge broke off one of the corners & felt wet to the touch.

I am sourcing new FB board now and think that I have a line on some from a company just north of me in Baldwin, FL (Atlantic Firebrick & Supply Co).

Question: Can you dry this stuff out? Or should I go ahead and replace?

I think that I already know the answer (replace suspect insulation) but I wonder if anyone from the forum has experienced this situation.

Thanks!

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Stage 1 Complete!

The trailer is finished and thankfully we've had a ton of rain which has allowed me to see where my trailer is leaking internally. I have 4 doors and it leaks around those but should be able to be corrected w/some weather stripping. I also have a few minor leaks which should be able to be caulked with no further issues. I have attached a few pictures of the trailer for everyone to look at.

Also, we should have a few dry days next week & my team & I will start the oven build! I fear w/all of the rain my FB board is ruined as it has been sitting in a crate in the elements covered with a tarp. Not the ideal situation, but a 3K lb shipping crate makes it hard to find an industrial space that not only has a forklift to take off of a semi but also to have covered space a tad difficult. Will post more about the build after Monday next week.

[davemartin88]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Like the look of the trailer, be interested to see the oven build. Do you also have heavy jacks for leveling the trailer on the front or just the normal one on the trailer tongue?

Hoping your FB board and insulation are okay- if they were under a tarp and off the ground on the pallet, hopefully it will work out for you and just be a bit damp.

Looking forward to more pics, glad to see the first stage is complete!

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Not sure I like the placement of the oven in relation to the axle. From what i see you may be a bit ass heavy. The crank foot will take care of that when working the oven but when you drive with the thing it could give you a real bucking broncho ride up front and not so great a ride for the oven. I could be wrong because I don't see your oven in place and how it will actually sit on the trailer...Just saying watch for that.

[david s]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Not sure I like the placement of the oven in relation to the axle. From what i see you may be a bit ass heavy. The crank foot will take care of that when working the oven but when you drive with the thing it could give you a real bucking broncho ride up front and not so great a ride for the oven. I could be wrong because I don't see your oven in place and how it will actually sit on the trailer...Just saying watch for that.

I see what you mean Faith. The combination of a high centre of mass plus singl axle plus very heavy oven could be asking for trouble. I had to shift mine forward instead of over dead centre of the axle and mine is quite low and only a baby.

[Laurentius]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

My trailer is going to body & paint this coming Friday which means hopefully that I should be able to start building the oven next week. The trailer mfg wanted a piece of the FB board in order to set it flush in the trailer. I opened my crate yesterday which has been under tarp all month to find some water damage of the 1st box of FB board. An edge broke off one of the corners & felt wet to the touch.

I am sourcing new FB board now and think that I have a line on some from a company just north of me in Baldwin, FL (Atlantic Firebrick & Supply Co).

Question: Can you dry this stuff out? Or should I go ahead and replace?

I think that I already know the answer (replace suspect insulation) but I wonder if anyone from the forum has experienced this situation.

Thanks!

There is no need to replace your insulation, just dry it out.

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

I had the same questions in relation to where the oven sits and the axle as well. The trailer company used the FB oven plans & specs when they designed the trailer. They have assured me that there is more length & tongue in the front of the trailer from the axle than where the oven sits keeping in mind also that I have a short wingspan to put pizza into the oven. Also, with the increased weight from putting wood & supplies in the front (coolers, etc) that should make the trailer ride like a dream.

I am planning on installing a larger footpad on the front and buying some jack stands from Harbor Freight for the front.

As far as the insulation being wet, if I can dry it out, that would save me some $$$$, How long would it take to dry out?

Today is Day 1 of the oven build. Pics to follow this afternoon. I'm looking forward to ideas & comments from all of you pros out there!

Thanks,

Kenny

[david s]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

Don't forget that because you have a high centre of gravity, lifting the tongue wil shift the centre of mass further to the rear of the trailer. Did you give the trailer builder the total oven weight. Also make sure you fit shocks.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

If you can at this point. At the connection point between the oven and trailer I would make it so that you can easily slide the oven forward and backward a few inches if you find the placement could be better. Find the magic spot then bolt it down. Easier to work that out now then after the oven is built and being stuck with the placement.

[mrchipster]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

, with the increased weight from putting wood & supplies in the front (coolers, etc) that should make the trailer ride like a dream.


As far as the insulation being wet, if I can dry it out, that would save me some $$$$, How long would it take to dry out?

You will have those supplies when going to an event but you will return with most of it gone so keep that in mind.

Put the insulation out in the sun support it off the ground to allow air movement and turn it a couple of times a day, it will dry out - how long? That all depends on how wet it got and how hot and dry your days are. You also might want to try setting a board on top of a closed grill that has been fired up, the extra heat and air movement will speed the drying.

Or lay it out on a hot roof. Again with standoffs

[kkgator]

Re: Profesionale 120 TE Trailer Build

I took over 20 pictures yesterday. Thankfully there were 3 of us to work on the project yesterday. The crate that my materials came in had been covered with a tarp for over a month and I did visually inspect the contents before unpacking. When I took a piece of the insulation board to the trailer dealer for measurements is when I noticed it was wet. The dealer further allowed this piece to become saturated w/rainwater by storing it inside the trailer box which was exactly watertight.

First thing on the agenda was to use a commercial grade epoxy sealer on all of the leaking joints. Once that dried we laid our insulation into the frame I had the trailer company make.