Anyone use a PTO powered Aerator?
Seems like a good way to move a high volume of water quickly.

I may look into fabricating one to use in case my pump fails or power is lost for an extended period.

I'm in pretty deep ($ wise) and dead fish look very much like floating one dollar bills !
Best to have a backup plan.

Anyone prefer a particular design?
I'm thinking some type of squirrel cage wheel might work.

Yes. They are used to aerate manure ponds. Depending on size of tractor would gauge size of aerator. Ours at the dairy looked similar to a mud motor for boats...only it was 25 or so feet long. To extend into the pond. Ran it with 150hp international. It would not have taken that much tractor though. Also be carefully of angle backing into pond. If you have to much angle and run tractor at rated pro rpm...you run chance of harming bearings and or number one cylinder. Seen this happen after a day of running at a steep angle. Google manure pond pto aerators. Should find some info. Never thought my ag and work on a dairy would come in handy on pondboss. Lol

MIght look for a used one, they look like you could get some serious money in metal, axles, and gearboxes.

Mine will be direct drive, unless I can find a reason I need more than 540 RPM.
(which I might!)

The one at the dairy was direct. What about a uses boat motor mounted to something stationary? Just thinking money. Really all those manure pond agitators are, areally a long shaft with a prop on the end. Carrier bearings or pipe/sleeve down the shaft...pto shaft on one end, prop on the other. All mounted on an axle. Back in and turn the pto on. I could see it getting into use very quickly during an emergency.

Or maybe use a truck rear axle and drive shaft, then build paddles from wheels...???

I think those manure pond agitators are more for stirring up the settled solids into a slurry by blowing a water current. Perhaps not what you want in a fish pond? Maybe something more like a catfish pond aerator which splashes surface water.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/mediagallery/2013/08/13/emergency-paddlewheel-aeration/

Think red has the winner. They do make more of a current to keep it from settling so you can pump it. That's cool. Like Brian said...an old axle...build some kind of paddle or blade on the wheels...and a way to move it and you got it. Have to weld the diff into a spool to keep both wheels spinning. Cool idea...very doable too.

Could find an old manure pond agitatior...take the prop off...build paddles for it, and there you go.

Hey Clay, I'll bet if you do a search on used long tail mud motors such as GoDevil, you can probably find one for just a couple hundred $. They are direct drive gas operated air cooled setups. You can change the angle so that you are only hitting the surface and spray water for 20 feet across the pond, or drop it down and let it circulate water.

My boat has a surface drive motor on it with a huge prop. On high idle with half the prop in the water it'll really chew up some water. I dont have an aerator yet, so I've had to use it a couple times recently on my 1/4 acre pond. I usually let it run on top for an hour and aerate the surface then trim it down to circulate the whole pond for a few minutes. I can just stir the top or the entire water column depending on how deep I trim it.