I hear ya.. I can fully appreciate livin' within your means! And I know what it is to never, never go askin' anybody for money - especially in-laws. I'd rather chew my own arm off - before asking for money from my FIL.
But... I guess I was venturing that workin' the 83E or the 101E with the kind of field work you were discussing - well, it just seems to me that you're gonna shorten the life of the tractor and jepordize your investment!
What up-front money you're saving right now could very well be spent a couple of years from now - on repairs!
I wasn't suggesting that the E's were not a great tractor or that buying another - higher horsepower model - wasn't a good idea.
The point I was hoping to get across was; just workin' the dog-crap outta YOUR tractor to shore up your FIL's farm.... well, that doesn't make good sense to me - unless, he fully recognizes your contribution and is willing to say so. Like - dang, boy you're doin' good and I appreciate it. How about we (WE) get YOU a bigger, heavier tractor to get this work done!
That's it - in a nut shell!
AKfish