Tractor Mike, a YouTube video-based training channel for tractor operators, surpassed 5 million views and 20,000 subscribers in early March of 2018.  According to creator Mike Wiles, “I’m honored and excited that my channel has attained these milestones. The YouTube platform continues to grow and fortunately my channel has been Google’s top choice when tractor owners search for basic tractor training.”

Wiles, who is also a columnist and contributing writer for Rural Lifestyle Dealer, says the growth of the channel is not surprising considering the changing demographics of the average tractor buyer. “Many customers shopping for small tractors today have no prior experience with equipment. As time goes on, each generation is further removed from production agriculture, but they’re purchasing land in rural areas and need a tractor to maintain their property. For most of us, when we need training, YouTube has become our ‘go to’ place, and first time tractor buyers are no exception.”

The Tractor Mike YouTube channel was created in 2012 when Wiles, who was managing a farm equipment dealership at the time, recognized a lack of unbiased tractor training available to consumers. “There were lots of tractor videos trying to sell product, but almost none offering basic training.  I posted a video of how to hook up a three-point implement and was very surprised by the number of views it received. It occurred to me that a channel devoted to tractor training could capture customers early in the buying cycle and be of great value for marketing, communication and research purposes. Having daily dialogue with potential tractor customers and new owners could offer an avenue for equipment development research, purchasing trends and product targeted videos.”

“The thing I enjoy most about the channel,” says Wiles, “is getting to help people, from all over the world, understand tractors, and especially, be safe with them. We all know that even smaller tractors, in the hands of an inexperienced operator, can injure or kill. I feel like the videos may have prevented potential injuries and death to new operators. Many comments come in thanking me for producing the videos, which keeps me committed to expanding and growing the effort.”   

The Tractor Mike YouTube Channel can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/tractormike, the accompanying website can be viewed at http://asktractormike.com.