Marlowe, I think that you will be just fine with straight water in tires. Lived near Augusta, just across the river in GA for those who don't know, for years. If you can keep the wind off the tractor, you won't have any trouble at all. If you can't, and say that it gets below freezing for a couple of days, then just let it sit for a day after temp warms up and everything will be fine. I only recall ours having a problem once, and that was because my brother decided to move hay on the only day of the year that it had snowed. Tractor was outside, so there was enough chunked ice in the tube to slice through. Funny thing is that it only got one tire. The other never showed any sign of ill health.