@bluemilk, barrels require a lot more planning that you may realize. IMO it's worth it, but preparation is not optional if you want a good result.
I ferment in 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brutes, making about half the quantity you are planning. I do 4 or 5 lugs per Brute (36 lbs each) so that the brutes are light enough to move (144 to 180 lbs).
A barrel produces different results from oak adjuncts such as cubes. Adjuncts provide oak flavoring only, while barrels also produce a concentrating effect -- water and alcohol evaporate through the wood of a barrel, concentrating the other wine constituents. This has a cost -- I need to start with 16 gallons of wine to produce 14.25 gallons of finished wine at the end of the year. The "angel's share" as it's called in the bourbon industry is roughly 10% of the barrel volume
for my barrels. This varies by barrel volume and exact wood species.
On this point I disagree with
@Rice_Guy. The concentration effect is the main reason I use a barrel; all other effects of barrels can be duplicated more cheaply in other ways. Barrels have to be maintained and topped up on a regular basis. If the concentration is not desired, use stainless steel or glass with oak adjuncts.
@Johnd uses large barrels and may be able to provide guidance on larger barrels.
Also note that oak character in barrels is a finite resource -- initially it can be very strong and especially for small barrels, wine may be left in only for a relatively short amount of time (4 to 8 weeks) and must be removed to avoid over-oaking. This diminishes with usage and the oak character is used up by the time the barrel is ~3 yo. The evaporation/concentration still works, but oak adjuncts must be added to get oak character. My barrels are coming up on 12 yo and have no remaining oak character -- I add oak cubes for that purpose.
I purposefully purchased used barrels so I can leave the wine in for a year, and control the oak character by adding desired amounts adjuncts. Also, while my barrels are French oak, I can add anything I want to produce different effects, including mixing oaks.
Invest in a pump. My barrels are 54 liters (14.25 US gallons) and
once full they do not move. A lot of folks like the All-in-One vacuum pump -- there's a thread for it and the company owner (member of this forum) is highly rated for excellent customer service. I purchased a basic wine pump from MoreWine! for about $80 USD, and it works fine. A web search will produce other options in a variety of price ranges.
MoreWine! has a
selection of free manuals, including barrel care. There are many other free resources, including
Wine Maker Magazine.