Redneck Engineering....

[MikeBjerum]

Classic. But am I the only one thinking adding a roll cage might have been a good idea?

Good catch!

One thing most people don't realize is that those big lugged tires are molded to bite the ground.  Between the traction, the weight distribution favoring the rear end, and the low gearing tractors have a tendency to just rotate on the rear axle 

At one point I owned two 135hp tractors:  These are tiny by today's standards.  In fact, my larger tractor was purchased on the sale by the neighbor, and it spends a lot of time on our yard as a loader tractor dwarfing my current 70hp loader.  The difference between an IH 1086 and a White 2-135 is 10,500 pounds (this is IH's wet weight, and the White is double that in the field).  From the flywheel back the only difference is that the White moves mass forward of the axle by about 6" as compared to the IH.  The main difference is surrounding the engine.  The IH uses the engine block to connect the transmission to the front axle, and they put stabilizing channel irons on each side.  The White has a solid cast iron cradle that connects the two, and you can remove the engine without splitting the tractor.  Even with all this mass, under full pull I could lift the front end of the White at anytime I wished.

I have as much respect for tractor wheelies as anything out there.  I have driven full half mile fields under load with the front end a foot off the ground, and the way those machines buck is not comforting.  This fine engineer is one dry or hard spot in that field from a Cars Tractor tipping incident, and it won't feel good!