Just admit that you watch TikTok, this is a safe space. The short-format, big-imagination video app is certainly in heavy rotation at my house; my wife started binging TikTok videos – her feed is full of dance challenges, self-care tips, and Mom/Dad Stuff. And yet, I’ve only recently been made gleefully aware of what has been appropriately dubbed, "Indian Farmer TikTok" or IFTT for short.
Like whips being ghost ridden, insanely dangerous high-speed tricks on Saudi Arabian highways, and thousands of silly Mustangs getting sideways in parking lots, these freewheeling, tractor-stunting Indian farmers have all the makings of an Internet sensation. And with good reason: These guys have major skills and an obsession with their farm equipment that borders on the unhealthy.
TikToker Nadeemnadeem5023 is a curator of these unexpected videos; his channel is populated with hundreds of videos that show farm equipment being put to hilarious use.
@nadeemnadeem5023 ♬ original sound - mr King. up 38
This is an Indian spin on, if not automotive, vehicular modification culture at its finest. These heavily customized tractors seem to all sport massive improvised sound systems (speakers daisy-chained and stacked behind the driver). Many also feature elements cribbed from lowrider and or import tuner scenes, like aftermarket rims (spinners, even), steering wheels, graphics, and paint jobs.
Oh, and of course wheelie bars. The main event in the genre is a big, laid-out tractor wheelie, with two-wheeled spins and plenty of dust getting kicked into the faces of crowds of appreciative onlookers. I'm not sure what the learning curve looks like for this kind of work, but it's evident these guys have serious skills (now if we could just get them some helmets).
Scroll on for some of our favorite tractor videos, and/or jump over to TikTok for a deeper dive into the pool of IFTT. Hey, while you’re there you should go ahead and follow the Motor1.com TikTok account too, for less crazy, but entirely more automotive, good stuff.
@nadeemnadeem5023 ♬ original sound - ꧁🇸 🇦 🇱 🇲 🇦 🇳 ꧂
@nadeemnadeem5023 ♬ original sound - MOHIT KUMAR YADAV
@nadeemnadeem5023 ♬ original sound - mr King. up 38
