Rebel and Betta, when I run my fountain as only a bubbler during the winter, the whole thing is underwater, and the water is shooting toward the surface, to move it to help keep ice open. Once it's under water, and no part of it is above water, you shouldn't have to worry about it tipping over in the wind. I, too, get all the wind, no trees to stop it, so I never have a tall fountain except in the middle of summer, because even 6' from the sides, the wind would spray the fountain out of the pond. You can quickly lower the water level that way on a windy day.
What I use is one of those shelving units that are pretty cheap, where you stack them up. It has a "cut out" on the front. Turn it over so the cut out is like a garage door, use that instead of a milk crate. (I have milk crates, too, but fish are getting bigger, and the holes in the crate are smaller, don't want anyone getting in and not being able to get out!) Then, weigh down the shelf/crate, so when you drop it with the pump zip tied to it, it will land straight. The downside of weighting it down is when you have to pull it out. It doesn't take a lot of weight, just strategically placed. Make it so that when you turn your fountain pump on, it bubbles only 3-4" above the water level. That's about perfect for winter.
Rebel, if you have to clean the batting out every month, what do you do in the winter? Keep in mind if the pond ices over, you won't be able to pull out the pump, unless the hole and all the way to the edge is thawed out. I don't have a prefilter at all on the pump. Since it's sitting pretty well in the middle of the water column, not much clings to it to clog the pump, especially in the winter.
Good luck!
