It has been a long weekend of hard work at BangShift Mid-West’s HQ, and the better part of that time has seen yours truly attached to a John Deere garden tractor as I’ve been shuffling around tons of dirt and knocking items off of that annual “Honey-Do” list that I get. I like tractors…they’re simple and their purpose is pure: they are the mechanical representation of a good mule or ox. Need to plow up some land? Need to haul a lot more than your half-broken body can carry? Call in a tractor! An engine, a transmission, deep gears and some kind of system to run attachments with are worth every single penny you could ever spend on one. But it’s also a four-wheeled contraption, and ever since humans learned how to make four wheels move without the aid of an animal, there have been drivers willing to push the concepts of skill, bravery, and to be honest, stupidity in the pursuit of appearing to be the master of the mechanical beast. Some excel. Others need to be handed their crayons and told to go sit in the corner and color a pretty picture.