Tractor Stunting Is One Wild Slice of Automotive Culture

Wheelie-pulling tractors, donk tractors, and very brave drivers.

byKristin V. Shaw|
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If it has wheels, you can be sure that someone is going to attempt a wheelie with it, and those daredevils are highly likely to record it. Now we have Twitter user David Ruddock to thank for the gateway to the world of TikTok videos of hotrodded tractors in India showing off. Just like Footloose introduced a whole generation to the idea of playing chicken on farm tractors, these videos may inspire some intrepid burgeoning stunt-seekers to take the family machinery for a wild ride.

Like any good Hoosier who grew up near wide swaths of cornfields, I can appreciate a good tractor stunt. If you’ve never seen a tractor pull or a lawn mower race, you’re missing out. I have no personal interest in trying it myself, as I know my limits, but it’s mesmerizing to watch. The latest videos as highlighted on TikTok showcases donk tractors, stunt tractors, and parades of farm equipment gearing up for stunts and kicking up dust. 

In 2020, YouTube channel RM Videos introduced the world to then-21-year-old tractor stunt driver Gaggi Bansra. The Punjab resident (nicknamed “Tractor Stuntman”) spins the machine on its giant hind wheels, smoke pouring from the stack. Bansra is asked to pop wheelies at local fairs and has apparently appeared on TV and in movies doing his thing. 

Watching it raises my blood pressure a little just thinking about the potential for serious injury and damage to the equipment. But check out the giant speakers behind his head. He is loving it. 

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I guess if X Games competitors can flip snowmobiles in the sky and perform triple-tailwhip airs on the BMX side, why not tractors? Even semi-trucks are getting in on the wheelie action. I don't know how these thrill-seekers learn how to do this without destroying their family tractors, but somehow they're making it work. Even TikTok plastered a warning on the videos along the lines of "don't try this at home or you could be in a world of hurt." 

But if you do, pass along a copy of the video. 

Got a tip? Comment below or send a note to kristin.shaw@thedrive.com.

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