Mixing MM

I've read both the old and the new SFG books and re-read parts often.  I'm about to make my first MM and thought that the idea of using a tarp will not work so well for me.  That started me thinking about other ways to mix the ingredients.  I have some 55 gallon, food grade plastic barrels.  I plan to make a compost tumbler or two and thought that the same principles that apply to mixing compost should apply to mixing peat, vermiculite and compost for MM.

Has anyone ever done their mixing in barrels?  I wouldn't fill the barrels completely in order to leave space for the materials to mix.  If I only fill the barrels half full, I should get somewhere between 3 and 4 cu. ft. of MM per barrel.  I need a total of about 45 cu. ft. for all the beds I'm making; so it would take 12-14 mixes using half a barrel at a time.  Because I'll be working alone with no one to help turn the tarp, it seems that this process - tho time consuming - might be my best bet.

What do you think?

My compost piles are on the ground, but I made a 55 gallon steel barrel compost tumbler just to see what everyone was talking about.  It does a much better job mixing MM than it does making compost.  

(Of course, the compost tumbler operator doesn't really know what he's doing, either!)

Thanks, Boffer!

I will probably give a tumbler the tumble (ouch!) for mixing MM.