Best size for a commercial mobile oven

[sonomacast]

I would like to put an oven on a trailer or in a truck, what would be the recommended size oven for a small commercial venture, I was originally thinking 90cms (35") but now i am thinking 1100mm (43"). Is there a norm for this application, Thank you

[Tman1]

I think there are so few mobile trucks that a standard does not exist. Add to that the variations of truck size and hauling capabilities... and the decisions get muddy.
Personally, I don't think going bigger is a bad idea.... just think how many times you've heard somebody say 'i wish it was bigger' versus 'i wish it was smaller'.

Now, with bigger you will have longer heat up times and more wood,which means more cost, so these are all questions that need to be answered.

[Grimaldi]

I have a mobile 40" WFO and we have been using it at our Market Days selling pizzas one weekend a month for the past 6 months...from this experience I would say the biggest challenge is making the pizzas fast enough, more than available floor space to cook them. But, having said that, I think you would be better off with the 43" than the 35" for your mobile commercial operation.

For me, the 40" is adequate, in fact, I am going to build another one the same size because there are only so many pizzas I can make at a time and manage the oven (4 or 5 pizzas working as fast as I can...stretching and dressing the pizza in under a minute...sometimes 30 second depending on the kind of pizza). It's a juggling act...and very hard work! It is not easy money.

Also, weight become a big factor in these mobile ovens, my oven weighs 3700 lbs including the single axle trailer (3000 lbs oven alone) and the bigger you get, obviously the heavier it gets. When you add the weight of all the other things it takes to do a mobile operation, you are really talking some weight. I bought a tandem axle trailer for my next oven.

[lwood]

With that 20% increase in dia. you get 50% increase in cooking surface area. That seems worth while to look into. Can you even get 2 pies in the 35" at one time? Seems with the 35", you can't even try two pizzas at one time. Much bigger than 43" is probably too big for all the reasons david s said.

[windage]

Go big as you can on floor space. If your intent is to do some volume, you won't mind the little extra wood or extra weight. I find that extra floor covers a lot of "sins" when under pressure in high volume; you can pick your spot on the floor, absorbs ash you cant get rid of right away (simply push it against the walls), takes additional wood to dry or prep while still baking.
I run an 81" ID oven I built last winter, (see the thread here somewhere) and having been open 5 months, I couldn't imagine using a smaller oven when we are busy, (though most are, as I can't find mention of a larger one anywhere). I admit that I may sacrifice some fuel efficiency firing a bigger oven, but the payoff comes in high throughput during busy times.

My mobile oven build will be around 50", with thinner walls and thicker perlcrete cladding with a thinner soapstone hearth.

[lwood]

Hi Chris,
You haven't talked much about the gas burner. Did you fab it yourself? FB just came out with a gas-burner option....so I think it's safe to talk about it. How's it working? Any words of wisdom? I plan to retrofit mine with a gas burner, commercially wood is just too much hassle and my fire-wood source is not very reliable. Plan to make it a combination wood/propane oven. There is a supplier of pizza oven gas burners that I will purchase it from. What do you think?

[100million]

We built our own oven and we can cook 28-35 pies a hour. It has a 29" floor and with the gas burner you have more floor space.

It all depends on if you have to take orders or your are making unlimited pies for a party.


Thanks

Chris

[david s]

If you want to make up a gas burner you will need a flame failure device and the whole lot should be fitted by a qualified gas fitter.

[100million]

David that is very true... We make ours just like a Turkey Cooker or Crab Pot Cooker... and if I will only make the Pipe for the burner and buy all UL parts..... We had our Plumber that is a Certified Gas Pipe Fitter...... But any Gas Fitter can put the parts together.

Thanks

Dave

[dmun]

Please take all discussions of gas ovens off-line. It's the FB position that gas isn't safe for home ovens.