ItaliaForno Compact Oven Cart

Description

The ItaliaForno compact oven cart is the stand ItaliaForno sells as its regular oven cart, built for the three compact gas ovens in the line: the Allegro, the Bambino and the Fornello. Stainless steel, 28 inches wide, 24 deep and 37 tall, 25 pounds, with a flat top the 100 pound oven sits on, a middle shelf, a full bottom shelf and four wheels that bolt to the legs during assembly. It is $495, sold separately, and the oven is not included.

The compact ovens exist for the small spaces a bigger oven will not fit, and the compact oven cart is sized the same way. Its 28 by 24 inch footprint is smaller than a bistro table, it puts the oven at working height without a masonry base, and it gives the propane tank the one place it belongs under a compact oven: on the bottom shelf, in the open, inside the frame. A compact on this cart is a complete outdoor pizza station on a townhome patio, a deck or a driveway, and it rolls back under the eave when the night is over.

One thing to say up front. ItaliaForno's product page lists this cart for the Allegro, Bambino and Fornello. ItaliaForno's own photos, two of which are in the gallery here, show the Famiglia sitting on it as well. Those two facts sit side by side today, so if you own a Famiglia or are buying one, ask us before you add the cart and we will confirm the fit with the brand in writing.

This page covers what the compact oven cart is, which ovens it takes, the top and the two shelves, the wheels and where 125 pounds can go, the balcony question, assembly, working height, stainless care, how it differs from the Grande Pro Duo cart, and buying it from Crustify. The spec table, ItaliaForno's dimension card, the assembly guide and the setup video follow the description.

What the Compact Oven Cart Is

Strip it back and the compact oven cart is a bolt together stainless frame: four square section legs, a solid top panel, a middle shelf, a bottom shelf and a wheel plate at the foot of each leg. It is the same build as the Grande Pro Duo cart at three quarters the width and half the weight, and it shares the same assembly guide. There is no open frame the oven drops into; a compact stands on its own feet on the flat top, the same way it would on a counter, and its 100 pounds holds it there.

ItaliaForno's page and its dimension card agree on this one: 28 inches wide, 24 deep, 37 to the top of the cart. Against the compacts' 21.7 by 22.4 inch body that leaves three inches of top on each side and an inch front to back, so the oven sits inside the top with no overhang and room beside it for the peel to rest. ItaliaForno calls the finish scratch resistant and the base non slip, and its feature card says stainless steel construction and weather resistant build; the stainless matches the compacts' front plates and chimneys.

The stamp on the front rail is part of the cart, as it is on the Grande Pro Duo cart. The shipping stickers are not, and the assembly guide is careful to say they come off before the first bolt goes in.

Which Ovens It Takes

The three compacts are one oven in three shapes, the same 21.7 by 22.4 inch footprint and 100 pounds under a rounded, an octagonal or a five sided dome, so the compact oven cart fits all three the same way. The Allegro, the Bambino and the Fornello each land at about 125 pounds on the cart and put the chimney cap at about 80 inches, which is the number to check against a pergola beam or a balcony overhang before you order.

The Famiglia is the open question, and ItaliaForno's own card above is why: it shows the Famiglia between the Allegro and the Bambino, and the weight card further down shows the Famiglia on the cart. The Famiglia is 30 inches wide by 25.2 deep and 122 pounds, so on a 28 by 24 inch top it would overhang about an inch on each side and sit at about 147 pounds, which the frame plainly carries. What ItaliaForno's written page says is Allegro, Bambino and Fornello only. Until the brand tells us in writing which of its two statements governs, we sell the compact oven cart for the three compacts and confirm the Famiglia case by case.

The Grande Pro Duo does not fit and is not close; at 42 by 38.5 inches and 420 pounds it has its own Grande Pro Duo cart, and the two are compared at the end of this page.

The Top, the Two Shelves and the Propane Tank

The top carries the oven and, with the three inches to spare on each side, the peel or the thermometer while you cook. The oven's clearances start at its own body, 8 inches to any wall on all sides, 20 inches each side of the chimney and 40 inches above it, so set the compact oven cart where those hold with the oven on it rather than where the bare cart fits.

The bottom shelf is the tank shelf, and ItaliaForno's photo above settles it: a standard 20 pound propane cylinder standing on the bottom shelf under an Allegro, with room beside it. Reading the dimension card against the cart's 37 inches, the bottom shelf has roughly 22 inches of clearance and the middle shelf roughly 9, our estimates from the picture rather than a published figure, which is why the tank lives below and not in the middle. The oven's manual caps a cylinder stored under a cart at 20 pounds with ventilation, and an open stainless frame is exactly that; never a larger tank under the oven. The compacts' gas inlet is at the rear, the manual allows a hose from 24 to 60 inches, and a tank on the bottom shelf reaches it with slack.

The compacts are propane only. ItaliaForno shows split wood on the bottom shelf in one of its photos, and on a Grande Pro Duo that is a real use, but these three ovens do not burn wood and burning it voids their warranty, so on the compact oven cart the bottom shelf is the tank and a tray of tools. The middle shelf, with its shorter clearance, is the working shelf: a board for the next pizza, the pans, the oil, the cutter, the peel laid flat between launches. Keep it as a work surface and the top of the oven stays clear.

Wheels, and Where 125 Pounds Can Go

ItaliaForno's assembly guide starts with the wheels: one bolts to the flat plate under each leg with four screws, washers and nuts, before the legs go on the bottom shelf. The studio photos show the cart standing on its bare plates, so if yours arrives looking like the picture, the wheels are in the hardware bag, not missing. ItaliaForno does not say whether the wheels lock, so we do not either; until it does, chock the cart or set it against a wall before the oven is lit.

Oven and cart together are about 125 pounds, which is where the compact oven cart earns its keep over the Grande Pro Duo's: one person rolls it across pavers, concrete, a composite deck or turf on a firm base, and two people can lift the whole rig, oven and all, over a lip or up a single step with the oven cold. It will not roll across a lawn or gravel, and the frame is not built to be dragged. Plan it for the paved part of the yard and lift it where it has to cross.

Cold oven only. A compact is moved with the chimney, the door and the floor tiles out, the gas disconnected and the tank off the shelf, whether it is being lifted onto the cart or rolled across the patio on it. Never move it with the burner lit, and lift the chimney and cap off before the cart goes through a gate or a doorway; with the oven on, the rig is close to seven feet to the top of the chimney.

Balconies, Small Patios and the Propane Question

ItaliaForno photographs the Bambino on this cart on a high rise balcony, and the compact oven cart is sized for exactly that: a 28 by 24 inch footprint on a balcony six feet deep leaves room to stand in front of it, and the 37 inch height keeps the oven mouth above the rail rather than blowing smoke through it. On a townhome patio or a small deck it is the same story with more room.

What the photo does not show is the fire code. The oven's manual requires open air with 40 inches clear above the chimney, which rules out a covered balcony, and many apartment buildings, condominium associations and HOAs prohibit or limit propane cylinders on balconies regardless of what the oven allows. Those rules vary by building and by city, and they are not something a product page can settle. Check your lease or your association's rules before you order, and if the answer is a hard no on propane, a compact on this cart on a ground level patio is the same oven with none of the argument.

Working Height and the Tool Shelf

A compact's refractory floor sits a few inches above the base of the oven, so on the 37 inch compact oven cart the cooking floor lands at roughly 40 inches off the ground. That is peel height for most adults: high enough to see the back of the 15.7 inch floor without stooping, low enough to launch without lifting the elbow. It is the height we tell compact buyers to aim for on a table or a counter, and on the cart it comes built in. On the Bambino and the Fornello the chimney cap tops out at about 81 inches; on the Allegro about 80.

The middle shelf is the reason the cart beats a table on a busy night. With a board on it the next pizza is built at waist height beside the oven, the peel rests there between launches, the oil and the cutter are in reach, and nothing sits on the ground. ItaliaForno's own pictures show it exactly that way, a pizza on the peel on the middle shelf and the pans below. Keep hot pans on a board rather than straight on the stainless and the shelf stays clean.

Assembly: Bolts, Wheels and Stickers

The cart ships flat and goes together with the hardware in the box: four wheels at four screws, washers and nuts each, then the four legs to the bottom shelf on eight flat head bolts, the middle shelf on eight more, and the top on eight more, each with a washer and a nut on the far side. Twenty four bolts and the wheel hardware; a wrench and a screwdriver do it, and the guide's own order is wheels, legs, middle shelf, top, tightened once every bolt in a stage is in. It is the same guide and the same sequence as the Grande Pro Duo cart.

ItaliaForno's first instruction is to peel every sticker off the panels before anything is assembled, and it is right: they come off a flat panel in a minute and off a built cart in an hour. Set the cart where the oven will live before the oven goes on it. At 25 pounds it moves alone by hand; with the oven on it rolls.

The oven itself is a one person lift for a strong back and a comfortable two person lift for everyone else, by the base, with the chimney, door and tiles out. Center it on the top, then fit the tiles, the chimney and the door and connect the gas. The setup video in the installation section shows the whole sequence on the cart, from the tiles going in to the first light.

Stainless Steel Outdoors: Care

Stainless is why ItaliaForno makes the cart in the same material as the ovens' trim: it lives outdoors uncovered, wet season included, without a coating to chip. A wipe with soapy water or a stainless cleaner keeps it bright; the ovens' own advice, a thin film of food grade oil or petroleum jelly on the steel after cleaning, works on the cart as well and is worth doing near salt air. Heat discoloration on the top panel under the oven is normal and cosmetic.

The cart itself does not need a cover. The oven does, as a condition of its warranty, and a cover sized for a compact drops over the body on the cart and gathers under the base, with the chimney off and stowed on the bottom shelf. ItaliaForno does not list its own cover yet; we will point you to one that fits when you order the oven.

Which ItaliaForno Cart

ItaliaForno makes two carts for its five ovens, and they are not interchangeable. This is the compact oven cart, ItaliaForno's regular cart, for the three compacts. The Grande Pro Duo cart, at $795, is built for the Grande Pro Duo alone. The Famiglia sits between them, listed for neither and photographed on this one; ask us.

The two carts share the same build and the same assembly guide; the difference is a top sized to the oven that goes on it. If you are still choosing the oven, the three compacts and what separates them are on the ItaliaForno brand page, and once the cart is under one of them the oven sits in our freestanding cart pizza oven collection alongside the other ovens that roll.

What to Order With It

The compact oven cart goes on the same order as the oven, and that is the order to put it on: any of the three compacts clears our free shipping threshold by itself and the cart ships free on the same order as an oven. Add the ItaliaForno infrared thermometer, $49.95, for reading the floor rather than the air up to 752°F; above that it reads over range, and its page says so. A cover for the oven is a warranty condition and fits over the cart.

Everything else that lives with an outdoor pizza oven is in our pizza oven accessories collection, and the full ItaliaForno range, five ovens, two carts and the thermometer, is on our ItaliaForno brand page. ItaliaForno's own listing for the cart is here, at the same price.

Buying the Compact Oven Cart From Crustify

Crustify is an authorized ItaliaForno dealer, and the cart ships from ItaliaForno's warehouse near Houston, Texas, in stock and usually on the truck within 7 business days. Ordered with the oven it travels with the oven's freight at no charge, curbside, and the driver lowers the pallet to your driveway. Ordered on its own it ships at the rate shown at checkout. Lead times are confirmed when you order.

Inspect the cart before you sign, note any bent leg or damaged panel on the delivery receipt, and report damage to us within 24 hours, which is ItaliaForno's window. An unused cart in its packaging can be returned within 14 days with the return freight paid by the buyer, which is why we would rather confirm the fit before you order, the Famiglia especially. It is excluded from every Crustify coupon code because ItaliaForno sets a strict MSRP, which is also why our price and theirs match to the dollar.

Questions go straight to the owner by chat or email and are usually answered the same day. The pizza oven buying guide covers the rest of what goes into owning an outdoor oven, or contact us directly with a photo of the space and we will tell you whether the cart, a table or a built counter is the better answer for it.

The compact oven cart ships free on the same order as the oven. Order the two together and the oven arrives with somewhere to stand and the tank with somewhere to sit.

Best way to buy: add this to your pizza oven order. Orders over $750 ship free.

KEY FEATURES

• ItaliaForno compact oven cart, model CARTREG, sold by ItaliaForno as its regular oven cart, built for the Allegro, Bambino and Fornello
• Stainless steel throughout: four square legs, solid top panel, middle shelf, full bottom shelf; scratch resistant finish and non slip base per ItaliaForno
• 28 in W x 24 in D x 37 in H; 25 lb; about 125 lb with a compact oven on it
• Flat top with three inches to spare each side of the compacts' 21.7 x 22.4 in body; the oven stands on its own feet, no overhang
• Bottom shelf takes a standard 20 lb propane tank, shown there in ItaliaForno's own photo, the largest the manual allows under a cart
• Middle shelf is the work shelf: board, peel, pans, oil and cutter at waist height beside the oven
• Four wheels bolt to the plate under each leg during assembly; hard level surfaces only, cold oven only; two people can lift the whole rig over a lip
• Puts a compact's cooking floor at roughly 40 in, peel height, with the chimney cap at about 80 to 81 in
• Sized for balconies, townhome patios and small decks; check your building's propane rules before you order
• Bolt together assembly: 24 flat head bolts with washers and nuts plus the wheel hardware; peel the stickers off first
• Famiglia fit: listed by ItaliaForno for the compacts only, photographed by ItaliaForno on this cart; confirmed with the brand on request
• Ships from Texas, in stock, 7 business days; ships free on the same order as an oven, rate at checkout on its own

SPECIFICATIONS

ItaliaForno's weight card for the cart, 25 pounds, photographed with the Famiglia on top. The dimension card higher on the page gives 28 inches across, 24 deep and 37 to the top, matching ItaliaForno's product page. Handmade, so expect small variations.

INSTALLATION GUIDE & USER MANUAL

ItaliaForno's setup video: the oven going onto its cart, the floor tiles, the propane adapter, the chimney, the igniter battery and the knob, through to first light. The cart assembly guide below covers the cart itself.

Before you start. Unpack every panel and count the hardware against the guide. Peel every sticker off the stainless now, while the panels are flat; the guide puts this first for a reason. Photograph any dent or bent leg before assembly and report it to us within 24 hours.

Wheels. Lay the four legs out. Bolt one wheel to the flat plate at the foot of each leg with four screws, four washers and four nuts, and tighten them fully.

Legs to bottom shelf. Stand the legs on the bottom shelf with the wheels down and fit two flat head bolts per leg through the shelf and the leg, a washer and a nut on the far side of each. Fit all eight before tightening any.

Middle shelf. Slide the middle shelf into place between the legs and fit its eight bolts, washers and nuts. Tighten.

Top. Set the top onto the frame, fit its eight bolts, washers and nuts, and tighten. Check the cart stands square and every wheel touches the ground.

Site and oven. Roll the cart to a hard, level, non combustible spot where the oven will keep 8 inches to any wall, 20 inches each side of the chimney and 40 inches above it, open to the sky, and chock it. With the chimney, door and tiles out of the oven, lift the compact by its base onto the top and center it. Fit the tiles, chimney, knob, deflector and door per the oven assembly guide, set the propane tank on the bottom shelf, connect through the supplied adapter and leak test with soapy water before the first light.

Moving and care. Cold oven only, chimney off and stowed, tank off the shelf, hard surfaces only; two people lift the rig over a lip rather than rolling into it. Wipe the stainless with soapy water, oil it lightly after cleaning, and keep hot pans on a board rather than on the shelves.

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Coverage. ItaliaForno stands behind the cart against defects in materials and workmanship for the original purchaser, for residential outdoor use. ItaliaForno's published two year term is written for its ovens; we will confirm the cart's term in writing on request before you rely on it.

Exclusions. Damage from rolling the cart over lawn, gravel or a lip with the oven on it, from moving a hot oven, from a larger cylinder than the manual allows under the cart, from overloading the shelves, from use with an oven ItaliaForno has not confirmed for it, and cosmetic wear or heat discoloration of the stainless are outside the warranty.

Claims. Contact us first with photos and your order number and we handle the claim with ItaliaForno on your behalf. Shipping damage is separate from the warranty: note it on the delivery receipt or report it to us within 24 hours of delivery.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FAQ'S

Your Questions Answered Before You Buy

The questions we get most often about the compact oven cart, answered straight. If yours is not here, chat or email goes to the owner and you will usually hear back the same day.