The Top 5 Tractor Channels on YouTube

[EddieWalker]

Before going to bed, I usually scan through Youtube to see if anything interesting shows up that might relate to something I'm planning on doing on my place. Fencing is going to be a big project for me, so I've been focusing on videos where guys are stretching woven fencing, and just how they are building their fences.

It hit me, that in every video, they are copying what they saw in another video. None of them know why they are doing what they are doing. Instead, they watched a video on how to do it, and now they are putting out a video on how to do it.

The Manufacturers' put out videos on how to install their fencing, so it's not rocket science, but I'm looking for somebody who really knows what they are doing with fencing, who owns a farm, and actually has raised animals for awhile.

I did learn about stretching tools, which lead to the purchase of an all steel one from Kencove that I hope will work better then using two 2x4's and some bolts. But it takes a lot of videos to gain a small bit of insight into what makes a fence good, or just good enough.

 

[GeneV]

Before going to bed, I usually scan through Youtube to see if anything interesting shows up that might relate to something I'm planning on doing on my place. Fencing is going to be a big project for me, so I've been focusing on videos where guys are stretching woven fencing, and just how they are building their fences.

It hit me, that in every video, they are copying what they saw in another video. None of them know why they are doing what they are doing. Instead, they watched a video on how to do it, and now they are putting out a video on how to do it.

The Manufacturers' put out videos on how to install their fencing, so it's not rocket science, but I'm looking for somebody who really knows what they are doing with fencing, who owns a farm, and actually has raised animals for awhile.

I did learn about stretching tools, which lead to the purchase of an all steel one from Kencove that I hope will work better then using two 2x4's and some bolts. But it takes a lot of videos to gain a small bit of insight into what makes a fence good, or just good enough.

Well, maybe sometimes. But also, you may borrow an idea from a vid, improve on it, and want to share that. I've seen that, and I've done that too.

 

[GeneV]

So true! Such valid points.

I think for a lot of vloggers, there is a choice to make. That choice is “do we have something interesting for the viewer to hear that requires a lot of voiceover”,

or

“is the video almost or just enough to share our point?”.

It’s interesting to ponder, that there is sometimes a big difference between what some folks want to see or hear about a particular subject and what the channel or video creator might feel they need to, or want to, provide.

I guess in a perfect world those two things would match. But the last time I was in that kind of an environment, well … I believe I hadn’t yet been born.

So there is always bound to be differences there. We can’t always know the knowledge side of every viewer. Hmmm… so what do we do?

I suppose we could do various levels of the same offering (multiple videos) aimed at different types of viewers. Maybe one version for just browsers, and another version for more experienced and technical folks such as yourself.

That might double or triple the effort, but it would make a big difference for folks such as you.

For you, “less” is more, or at the very least, less is enough. It’s because you have a pretty good handle on the basics that someone else with less experience may not have.

That would be an interesting concept though.

Rewarding subscribers to content with “bonus information” or less verbose content that may provide more specific tailored content to those requesting it.

That’s why I believe we are on the edge of piping more user specific data to the individual over sending the same exact information for everyone.

Maybe we will soon have “Smart Post-Processing Systems”. We can call it YouTube SPPS!! (Or YouTube Smart”)

That is, an AI post processor that takes direct video content scans it, along with a media folder (pre supplied by the provider), of additional tailored content.

The SPPS adds or removes from the original video some of that additional provided media in order to fit several core groups of subscribers (or samples), thereby providing a more tailored content to whatever “core” group you’ve subscribed to YouTube Smart as.

I think you are on to something here! Make a billion $$ and I’ll only take 2% per year for my share!

I guess it boils down to whether the viewer is looking for a specific solution to something, or just likes to see tractor vids in general. For instance, lately I've been investigating getting a stander mower, so just been watching dudes mowing with them.

 

[DonaldP]

I guess it boils down to whether the viewer is looking for a specific solution to something, or just likes to see tractor vids in general. For instance, lately I've been investigating getting a stander mower, so just been watching dudes mowing with them.

You make lot of sense. Add to that the user that likes lots of commentary on issues they may be learning about, and very little commentary on stuff they are more confident with! Wow it gets crazy fast. Great input though!

 

[DonaldP]

Well, maybe sometimes. But also, you may borrow an idea from a vid, improve on it, and want to share that. I've seen that, and I've done that too.

Awesome!!!

 

[DonaldP]

Before going to bed, I usually scan through Youtube to see if anything interesting shows up that might relate to something I'm planning on doing on my place. Fencing is going to be a big project for me, so I've been focusing on videos where guys are stretching woven fencing, and just how they are building their fences.

It hit me, that in every video, they are copying what they saw in another video. None of them know why they are doing what they are doing. Instead, they watched a video on how to do it, and now they are putting out a video on how to do it.

The Manufacturers' put out videos on how to install their fencing, so it's not rocket science, but I'm looking for somebody who really knows what they are doing with fencing, who owns a farm, and actually has raised animals for awhile.

I did learn about stretching tools, which lead to the purchase of an all steel one from Kencove that I hope will work better then using two 2x4's and some bolts. But it takes a lot of videos to gain a small bit of insight into what makes a fence good, or just good enough.

Great feedback!

There is no doubt you are looking for expertise in a very micro subject! But that is the beauty of what technology can and is delivering to us.

I believe that the intent of everyone interested in doing a project for themselves is primarily finding as many options that others have tried and have either been successful at or failed, and to not make the same mistakes others may have experienced in their projects.

I believe it’s educational to have as many failures be a part of what’s available on YouTube as successes, but we aren’t quite there yet.

It’s probably true that most folks would not simply jump off of a cliff because it’s the fastest and least costly way to the bottom. (At least from the onset ) But there are many ways of getting to a solution.

It could save some frustration, and save someone the negative side effects from jumping if there were others out there sharing both positive and negative results from their attempts at various projects.

Granted, I’m being simplistic, but I believe we learn just as much from mistakes as we do from successes.

There are some folks out there that are sharing their failures…. And that may be just as important as successes in some cases.

 

[DonaldP]

One of my pet peeves are the channels with "pretty" folks who never get dirty or sweaty & their tools are always shiny new. For instance, their chain saws always have a brand new bar that clearly displays the brand name. I much prefer the real world types.

Exactly!!!!

I’m putting together a video now and I had just finished pressure washing my tractor and have about 75 spots of dirt implanted on my face from that process. I’m leaving that on the video!! Why? Because that’s real world stuff! You don’t pressure wash a TLB after digging for an hour and completely bypass everything else that was done (going in the house, taking a shower, doing the laundry, putting on the same clothes, and then shooting the rest of the video!!!!)

It just makes no sense to me, unless someone actually wants to see a perfectly sanitized false impression of real life…. Takes me back to Gilligan's island where there wasn’t an ounce of real dirt on the whole set!!! What were the walking on that didnt get tracked around on anything? Brown carpet?

 

[GeneV]

Great feedback!

There is no doubt you are looking for expertise in a very micro subject! But that is the beauty of what technology can and is delivering to us.

I believe that the intent of everyone interested in doing a project for themselves is primarily finding as many options that others have tried and have either been successful at or failed, and to not make the same mistakes others may have experienced in their projects.

I believe it’s educational to have as many failures be a part of what’s available on YouTube as successes, but we aren’t quite there yet.

It’s probably true that most folks would not simply jump off of a cliff because it’s the fastest and least costly way to the bottom. (At least from the onset ) But there are many ways of getting to a solution.

It could save some frustration, and save someone the negative side effects from jumping if there were others out there sharing both positive and negative results from their attempts at various projects.

Granted, I’m being simplistic, but I believe we learn just as much from mistakes as we do from successes.

There are some folks out there that are sharing their failures…. And that may be just as important as successes in some cases.

Oh yeh, for sure, I like when people discuss what did NOT work, that's definitely helpful to me when I'm researching something.

 

[GeneV]

Exactly!!!!

I’m putting together a video now and I had just finished pressure washing my tractor and have about 75 spots of dirt implanted on my face from that process. I’m leaving that on the video!! Why? Because that’s real world stuff! You don’t pressure wash a TLB after digging for an hour and completely bypass everything else that was done (going in the house, taking a shower, doing the laundry, putting on the same clothes, and then shooting the rest of the video!!!!)

It just makes no sense to me, unless someone actually wants to see a perfectly sanitized false impression of real life…. Takes me back to Gilligan's island where there wasn’t an ounce of real dirt on the whole set!!! What were the walking on that didnt get tracked around on anything? Brown carpet?

Yeh, they really dropped the ball on that show coz...who doesn't like dirty girls?

 

[DonaldP]

One of my pet peeves are the channels with "pretty" folks who never get dirty or sweaty & their tools are always shiny new. For instance, their chain saws always have a brand new bar that clearly displays the brand name. I much prefer the real world types.

This is a timely comment too with respect to “sanitized” content.

While there is no need to show “everything”, maybe there is the need to play softly on creating a reality that’s not there. Being respectful of others, especially younger folks that may not understand that what they may be seeing -portions of a video, doesn’t mean that there aren’t any additional or difficult work or effort that goes into a production no matter how large or small.

How socially responsible do we need to be as channel producers, to pay tribute to the reality of what we are doing over the sanitized content we may portray in a final cut?

Blockbuster movies deal with that all the time, leaving all of that up to the viewer… but those are movies … not real life, or the portrayal of such. A movie doesn’t usually play out in “almost” real time as vlogging does.

The couple that were in the Grand Tetons that are no longer with us may be some of the most visible and devastating results of the “exploitation of sanitized production methods” in vlogging that can create a false reality of sorts… an expectation of non failure or “ease of presentation” in the process and scrubbing the content clean to exclude any negativity (even from the producers themselves excluding the negative portions of their shared experiences at the ultimate cost to them… their lives).

It may not be easy to be a part of what it takes to “produce” the kind of content that we generally see, but how much of that reality should be included or excluded in vlogging?

What is the responsibility of the viewer or the producer?

Should it be 100% the responsibility of the viewer as in movies and theatrical presentations to ascertain the amount of reality Vs non reality that is produced into a channels content?

Interesting ideas and concepts when discussing something as difficult to understand, and as deadly as that couples experience.

 

[ljjhouser]

Tractors or using tractors?

1) Fast Ag Montana
2) Millennial Farmer
3) Mesicks
4) Red Power
5) Harmless Farmer - Andy Detwiler

And for click bait,
Laura Farms
Nyfarmgirls

That one got past me. I forgot about Millennial Farmer. It also paints a pretty good picture of where the JD market is and why. I found it very interesting. Tells a lot about large farming life.

 

[dadohead]

This is a timely comment too with respect to “sanitized” content.

This goes for the comment section too. I like to scan the comments for different points of view (and fantastic humor). To me, it is really dishonest when channels allow only the giddy, back slapping "oh, you're the greatest..." comments followed by a string of little red hearts. You make a positive comment... you're on with a heart; make a critical comment... it isn't allowed on. Do that and I'm gone.

 

[Jchonline]

One of these definitely doesn’t feature clickbait thumbnails for videos that largely appeal to middle age men. Nope, nope, not at all. Why, I’m confused why people would even would suggest that. …rolls eyes…

I’m not sure what you expect….its YouTube. Good channels take time and $$$ to create and maintain. We should expect some form of revenue generation to be a part of the videos. Just fast forward past them.

If you think anyone on YouTube these days doesn’t have $$$ in mind you are kidding yourself. Just delete the app and never visit the page again and you will be fine!

I also like Millennial Farmer. Good to see our children carry on the love.

 

[Jchonline]

This goes for the comment section too. I like to scan the comments for different points of view (and fantastic humor). To me, it is really dishonest when channels allow only the giddy, back slapping "oh, you're the greatest..." comments followed by a string of little red hearts. You make a positive comment... you're on with a heart; make a critical comment... it isn't allowed on. Do that and I'm gone.

That might be, but it is their channel and not yours. They can do what they want. You didn’t put in hours of your own time building it, designing it, maintaining it. No different than a restaurant posting “no shirt no service” and one complaining about it. It’s their building they can do what they want. They can choose not to enter it.

Personally I cant stand the comments section. It’s just Social media drama time. I ignore them all. I’m on the channel for the content the creator puts out, not to see a bunch of 1/2 whits try and get online attention.

 

[dadohead]

That might be, but it is their channel and not yours. They can do what they want. You didn’t put in hours of your own time building it, designing it, maintaining it. No different than a restaurant posting “no shirt no service” and one complaining about it. It’s their building they can do what they want. They can choose not to enter it.

Personally I cant stand the comments section. It’s just Social media drama time. I ignore them all. I’m on the channel for the content the creator puts out, not to see a bunch of 1/2 whits try and get online attention.

They are putting out content because they want us to watch it. Most are trying to be 'influencers'; some want to sell me crap too. Scanning the comments is just like reading the posts here... you can see the drivel pretty quickly but some of it is as good as the video running.

I once made a comment on a popular tractor video channel regarding an unsafe act involving tractors and children... the sanitized comments all thought the video was 'heartwarming'. No, it was frightening. This is something I know quite a bit about from my 30 years as an engineer in the industry and seeing accident reports.... I made a short, concise, positive message why you maybe shouldn't do this. Didn't follow the narrative so the safety warning didn't get passed on.

Yup, their content / their right. But I can vote with my feet too.

 

[Otgaugres]

Unfortunately a lot of good channels get sucked in by the allure of fame and fortune. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but for example I’ve been a subscriber to the Morgans since they had less than 1000 subs. I used to thoroughly enjoy the channel and it’s content when the videos were to the point and relatively short in length. As time goes on, it’s become more of reality TV than an outdoor/tractor channel. There is now the incessant sponsorships, endless talking and family chatter, hawking for subs and likes, showcasing of new toys and equipment, and less useful knowledge and demonstrations. The videos have become longer in length and more frequent. It’s unfortunate, because I think Mike is a skillful operator and a handy guy. He’s got a lot to offer. While I use to watch his videos from beginning to end, I mostly skip them entirely now and if I do watch I’m just watching very selective scenes.

Kapper Outdoors is another. Their videos have become much more frequent. Not as polished as the Morgan’s but they have become more of a vlog than a how-to channels. There is a lot of fluff in the videos but I do like that they are relatively short and to the point. In an effort to put out lots of minutes of content, the quality of content has diminished significantly.

I think TTWT has stayed pretty true to its roots. You may not care for his style, but there is not a lot of fluff and chatter. It’s pretty much tractor and equipment content.

I love Camerata although his videos are longer than I prefer. He’s unique in his approach and content, but you can’t discount his success. I like the fact that he doesn’t have sponsors and doesn’t hawk for subs and likes all the time.

Not necessarily tractor content but I really like letsdig18. For the most part if you want to watch a skillful operator run heavy equipment, this is a great channel. Again his videos are longer than I like, but they are mostly just equipment moving dirt so I run them at 1.5 or 2.0 speed. There is some dialogue and some occasional senseless chatter and banter, but mostly right to the point. No hawking for subs and likes.

I think Ventrac has a great channel. Granted, it’s sales related but they have some great videos of their equipment at work if that’s of interest. Their videos are relatively short in length.

A common denominator to me is relatively short and to the point videos. I sub to hundreds of channels and actively follow several dozen. While interested in their content, I won’t take hours out my day to watch endless fluff. i know that doesn‘t equate to the most revenue from YouTube, so i don‘t look for that to change.

 

[Jchonline]

They are putting out content because they want us to watch it. Most are trying to be 'influencers'; some want to sell me crap too. Scanning the comments is just like reading the posts here... you can see the drivel pretty quickly but some of it is as good as the video running.

I once made a comment on a popular tractor video channel regarding an unsafe act involving tractors and children... the commenters thought the video was 'heartwarming'. No, it was frightening. This is something I know quite a bit about from my 30 years as an engineer in the industry and seeing accident reports.... I made a short, concise, positive message why you maybe shouldn't do this. Didn't follow the narrative so the safety warning didn't get passed on.

Yup, their content / their right. But I can vote with my feet too.

I hear Ya. I see lots of stupid things as well. Do stupid things, win stupid prizes!

 

[Jchonline]

Unfortunately a lot of good channels get sucked in by the allure of fame and fortune. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but for example I’ve been a subscriber to the Morgans since they had less than 1000 subs. I used to thoroughly enjoy the channel and it’s content when the videos were to the point and relatively short in length. As time goes on, it’s become more of reality TV than an outdoor/tractor channel. There is now the incessant sponsorships, endless talking and family chatter, hawking for subs and likes, showcasing of new toys and equipment, and less useful knowledge and demonstrations. The videos have become longer in length and more frequent. It’s unfortunate, because I think Mike is a skillful operator and a handy guy. He’s got a lot to offer. While I use to watch his videos from beginning to end, I mostly skip them entirely now and if I do watch I’m just watching very selective scenes.

You do have to admire the man for quitting his job whilst still supporting his family (and special needs Son). Nothing but respect for him. YouTube is his job now, and you cant fault him for giving it 110%. He is doing what needs to be done to be successful.

You are doing exactly what Mike wants you to do. You keep coming back…Views = $$ with YouTube. Views and Subs = $$$ with potential sponsors. He doesn’t need you to watch the entire video.

 

[Otgaugres]

Not b

You do have to admire the man for quitting his job whilst still supporting his family (and special needs Son). Nothing but respect for him. YouTube is his job now, and you cant fault him for giving it 110%. He is doing what needs to be done to be successful.

You are doing exactly what Mike wants you to do. You keep coming back…Views = $$ with YouTube. Views and Subs = $$$ with potential sponsors. He doesn’t need you to watch the entire video.

i wasn‘t picking on him, just used that channel as an example. I do admire his work and family ethics. It’s his channel and he’s free to take it in any direction he wishes. I was just giving my opinion on what i like and don’t like about channels in general. You‘re probably right…people like the Morgans are looking at YouTube analytics and basing their videos on that. In the case of the Morgans, there is still enough good content that I watch from time to time, but not nearly as much as I did a couple of years ago. In my case, if i was watching their current content for the first time, the format probably wouldn‘t interest me enough to become a subscriber. I freely admit, it’s probably difficult to keep producing good, interesting, fresh content. To each, his own…

 

[EddieWalker]

Unfortunately a lot of good channels get sucked in by the allure of fame and fortune. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but for example I’ve been a subscriber to the Morgans since they had less than 1000 subs. I used to thoroughly enjoy the channel and it’s content when the videos were to the point and relatively short in length. As time goes on, it’s become more of reality TV than an outdoor/tractor channel. There is now the incessant sponsorships, endless talking and family chatter, hawking for subs and likes, showcasing of new toys and equipment, and less useful knowledge and demonstrations. The videos have become longer in length and more frequent. It’s unfortunate, because I think Mike is a skillful operator and a handy guy. He’s got a lot to offer. While I use to watch his videos from beginning to end, I mostly skip them entirely now and if I do watch I’m just watching very selective scenes.

Kapper Outdoors is another. Their videos have become much more frequent. Not as polished as the Morgan’s but they have become more of a vlog than a how-to channels. There is a lot of fluff in the videos but I do like that they are relatively short and to the point. In an effort to put out lots of minutes of content, the quality of content has diminished significantly.

I think TTWT has stayed pretty true to its roots. You may not care for his style, but there is not a lot of fluff and chatter. It’s pretty much tractor and equipment content.

I love Camerata although his videos are longer than I prefer. He’s unique in his approach and content, but you can’t discount his success. I like the fact that he doesn’t have sponsors and doesn’t hawk for subs and likes all the time.

Not necessarily tractor content but I really like letsdig18. For the most part if you want to watch a skillful operator run heavy equipment, this is a great channel. Again his videos are longer than I like, but they are mostly just equipment moving dirt so I run them at 1.5 or 2.0 speed. There is some dialogue and some occasional senseless chatter and banter, but mostly right to the point. No hawking for subs and likes.

I think Ventrac has a great channel. Granted, it’s sales related but they have some great videos of their equipment at work if that’s of interest. Their videos are relatively short in length.

A common denominator to me is relatively short and to the point videos. I sub to hundreds of channels and actively follow several dozen. While interested in their content, I won’t take hours out my day to watch endless fluff. i know that doesn‘t equate to the most revenue from YouTube, so i don‘t look for that to change.

I've tried watching Morgans and Kapper, but in every video of theirs that I've tried to watch, it's endless talking without actually doing anything until the end of the video.

It would be nice to find a channel where they are actually working on their farm, or creating it, and not trying to drag on how long the video is with a bunch of meaningless chitter chatter.