This silly thing happened while I was replacing a hydraulic cylinder on my tractor. It reminded me of some fun concepts things and made me want to revisit the backwards bike. I filmed this on my phone and was a bit worried about it not being "good enough" for a video.... but I ultimately decided that you might like to think about this as well. Thank you to everyone who supports on Patreon! You make me feel ok about uploading little things like this that I fee are intellectually honest and less produced. I'm excited to send out this year's stickers! The Cicada sticker is more fun than it should be. Click here if you'd like some stickers! www.patreon.com/smartereveryday
I think the tractor was easier because you don't need to relearn balancing, put the bike on training wheels and let people try it that way ;) or make a tri wheeled bike.
I have no way of testing this, but I THINK this is rather different. The bicycle is more reliant on balance. I do not BELIEVE this would be all that difficult to get used to.
@@smartereveryday Destin, what would happen in an emergency on the backwards bike? Would your brain pick the correct neural pathway? I think learning to drive a zero turn mower is related to this. Great video as always, you make us think. God bless!
@@ArmsForThought been there, done that, crushed a barrel. Was at a "tractor fun day" and the organizers had reprogrammed the steer by wire system to Destinize it. Fun times! 🚜➡️⬅️
I think it's easier to ride the tractor not only because you have experience with the bike, but also when you ride a bike you use steering to keep balance and you do counter-steering when making a turn, all of those things do not apply to a tractor where you only use steering to make a turn, no balance or couter-steering required.
Not to mention the fact that anyone who has been backing up a vehicle, also has to think opposite on the steering, and when adding a trailer, wagon or wagon train, you have to steer in even more unusual ways
@@maciej5825 nope. There's more room for error on the tractor. You aren't trying to turn and balance at the same time. One move doesn't take you to the concrete like the bike. The tractor is basically like driving in reverse. That's it. Has nothing to do with the bike or that principle.
@RexMuffin You turn the wheel in the direction you want to go regardless of direction with normal steering. Think of it like 2 parabolic curves on either side of the vehicle, if you turn the wheel left you are traveling along the left curve forward or back, if you turn right than you travel along the right curve. The tractor in this video flips that, which is how a trailer works in reverse because of the pivot point. (Edit) To clarify, "reversing" is going backwards, if you turn around to face the direction of motion it's no longer really reversing but going forward. This would be more like turning in your seat but not putting it in reverse.
I've spent my entire life with people saying adults cant learn as fast as children. Now that I'm a teacher I don't believe this to be true at all. I was never able to learn as fast as I can now until I knew how people learned. To prove this point I learned german to A2 in 6 months. I think its a fascinating area to show how if you "lock in" and know how to learn you can achieve amazing results. Young children "lock in" because they are sponges absorbing the world around them. Adults have distractions, they get bored and will stop if they arent seeing results. Knowing about this and pushing through leads to learning.
Backing up a trailer is backwards steering. Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go.
I would think that dentists could do the backwards bike thing well. When they stick that little mirror in your mouth they have to work backwards. I wonder if that would translate to the bike?
already hung up on the "you learn faster when you're dedicated thing" because i always felt that was an universal truth that everyone perceived but nobody spoke it out. if you really want it from your own heart you're gonna be 20 times as good at something.
This is also why backing up a trailer has a learning curve, you turn the wheel right for the trailer to go left and vice versa, I still struggle with that.
@@antagonizerrthat’s definitely a game changer. Also when aiming for a tight spot, a smart coworker of mine gave me the cue “follow the trailer”. It’s helped me so much.
Not to discount the difficulty of the tractor, but I would find this way easier than doing it with a bicycle. Not only do you not need to worry about your balance, but your brain likely already has pathways accounting for turning the opposite direction; think reversing or, even better, reversing with a trailer. I would think the tractor would be a good starting point before upgrading to the bike.
I think most people would pick that up pretty quickly, its the same as backing a car so most would have the knack, the backwards bike works against your balance.
Your giggle made my Sunday morning. This is definitely the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! My thoughts went immediately to forklifts, backing up with 1 and 2 axle trailers, and drones (thanks for adding that reference). My wife thinks it's some sort of dark magic when I back up with a boat trailer and put it exactly where I want it to go.
The tractor is easier. Using the lower portion of the steering wheel allows you to steer in the direction you want to go. I was taught this when towing a boat. When backing up a two wheel trailer, use the bottom of the steering wheel which will cause the trailer to go in the direction you want
Hand placement has a lot to do with this. If you have your hand on the bottom at 6 oclock ,youre turning in the direction you want to go. Same applies when backing up a trailer. it would def be a lot easier to adapt to this than the bicycle.
LMAO that howl of pure joy he let out when he turned the wheel at the beginning is one of the purest and best things ive seen on here, you can really hear his enthusiasm, i love it
My first thought was about his neighbors. Them not knowing it was special bike. "He really is having trouble learning how to ride a bike as a grown man, poor Destin...."
Heavy equipment operators all across the world have been working like this. The major manufacturers all have different controls for similar equipment. Case, John Deere, JB, Cat, etc. When you operate these things for a living you get incredibly proficient and precise with it, but when you use one from a different manufacturer, it forces you to focus and relearn in a matter of days. What’s fascinating is when you go back to the original equipment, it’s not recalling how you did it before, it’s unlearning and trying to forget what you just learned.
a few years ago i was camping and someone there had made one of those bikes, i caught a few glimpses of kids trying to ride the bike and i immeditly knew what it was, i searched for a couple hours for the man the built the bike, because i needed to talk to this man. i finally found him and talked to him about the bike and got to give it a try. i didnt have enough time to learn it. but it was great meeting the guy the made it and talk to him.
When I was a kid I came up with the idea of crossing my arms on the handlebars, as a trick to show off. I learned it quite quickly, but it was amazing to see how all my friends would say 'that's easy, I can do that' then instantly faceplant. By the way my solution is a much better engineered 'backwards brain bike' solution. The best part is no part, right? With my technique anyone can try it for free.
So to me the bike seems like it's a lot harder because it's more complex. There's a failure mode where you fall off the bike and you lose feedback once you're there. The tractor is a lot easier because there's no failure mode where you lose feedback, you can easily just instantly correct your mistake and use it to instantly learn. I think it's funny that you mention the part where your brain needs to figure out which mode you're in, because there are some video games where I have the same reaction when it's in third person. Some explanation on the scenario: In about all first person games, you move the stick right the camera turns right. But in a lot of older third person games, the camera stick is movement based while still pointing at the character, so this means when you move the stick right, the camera _moves_ right and _turns_ left to continue facing the character. So you have these two different modes where you either move the camera or turn the camera based on its position relative to the player. Some shooters have both of these modes in specific contexts, but for the purposes of aiming, it's always turn based, so there have been many times where I've gone to control the camera to face something and go the completely wrong direction at first while I figure out what the correct mode is.
I am a retired pediatric dentist. One of the more challenging skills dentists master is using indirect vision to operate in the maxillary arch. It becomes second nature to use a mirror to direct the instrument. It would be interesting to know how that skill would translate into riding your backwards bicycle.
I always found it curious that video games give an option to change your controls; up on the controller moves vision down and vice versa. “Invert Y axis” I think it’s called. Why is this a thing?
@@bovinejonie3745, I'm playing Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (a Playstation 2 game from the 90s) on my Playstation 5. It doesn't have the option to change the X axis, and it's incredibly confusing at first since it's backwards from most games nowadays. While I wish I could change it, I know it's probably good for my brain at least... 😅
I think it's because there's two ways of thinking about the camera movement in the game. You can either think of where you want the camera to move, or you can think of where you want the "view" to go. These two ways of thinking result in two different results for what should happen when you push the stick on the controller. There's also the fact that flying games often have inverted inputs that I believe come from old joystick controls that are based on the real flight stick of aircrafts.
Destin, I would be surprised if you didn’t watch Andrew Camarata here on RUclips. He does equipment maintenance and has built his own castle and stuff. Real brilliant guy. If you haven’t watched him maybe you will add it to your watchlist.
Got home from church and found a new video - great day for many reasons. Just a thought, maybe find a dentist and see how quickly they can ride the backward bicycle. We are accustomed to working in a mirror all day. I’ll never forget the frustration in learning how to work “backwards” nor the satisfaction on the day it clicked and became second nature. Keep up the good work.
When I was a young teen, we boys at church made a backward steering bike in the repair shop. None of us could ride it except for one ex-amish teen who had never ridden a bike. He picked up on it in an hour or so and was the only one to successfully ride our creation.
I had this with an overhead projector at church back in the day. Moving the transparency sheet up and to the left moves the projected image down and to the right. My brain adjusted to learn it.
Your laugh always makes me smile, Destin! I always love these short “everyday curiosity” videos. They remind us that the world around is a fascinating place if you keep an open mind!
There is a big difference between the tractor and the bike. Since the tractor has a wheel instead of handle bars, you can actually adapt quicker by simply putting your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Move your hand in the direction you want to go and it works! This is also the trick to use when backing a trailer. Cool video too. I spent many hours on a Ford 3000 back in the 70's and early 80's on our farm. Great tractors!
Do you drive vehicles with attached trailers in reverse? I would think a trick used in such cases would help with the "Backwards Brain Tractor". Steer with your hand starting at the bottom of the steering wheel. Doing so will have your hand moving in the direction you want your "reverse tractor" to go. I find your videos interested and am already part of your Patreon. I'm looking forward to this year's stickers.
As soon as I saw your tractor, I thought about learning to back up while driving a trailer. It was difficult until someone told me a trick: hold the steering wheel at the bottom (6 o'clock) instead of the top like you would sheen driving. Then, just move the bottom of the wheel in the direction you want the trailer to move. That made it much more intuitive and probably used more of my existing skills. I wonder if putting a full circle steering wheel on a backwards bike would make that skill easier to learn as well.
I'm pretty sure that driving a tractor with reversed steering inputs is an order of magnitude easier than learning to drive the backwards-brain bicycle.
This is a cool throwback. The reverse bicycle was the first video that got me into your whole channel and I had always wanted to support you more because your videos has helped me discover the world in the way I understand things best! Always look forward to all your new finds!
I remember the first time I tried using a zero-turn. I could not turn smoothly to save my life! Once I was able to condition my brain to recognize pulling back means slowing down the inside of your turn it made perfect sense to me
My middle school science teacher showed us your videos as a reward for being good students. Im now 21, in college, and have been watching your videos ever since. Love your stuff man, thanks for all the years of awesome videos
My brother-in-law made a backward brain tractor years ago by making one tractor out of 2. The steering rack of the second tractor was on the opposite side of the wheels. Only he could drive it.
Did you know the backwards bicycle concept is used in addiction recovery groups as a metaphor for the recovery journey? It’s more than just a RUclips video. It also illustrates the neurology behind overcoming addiction.”
It happens. Especially when cables and connectors aren't obviously different colors, types, etc. 😂 Personally, I think it's ideal if every connection is a unique color AND attachment type.
Very much reminds me of playing a game where pushing the controller "down" (towards you) makes you fly downward and not climb. Yes, that's a video game not the real world, but it absolutely gives a taste of backwards brain where everything you know is that you pull back (push down) on the controller you go up.
I dont think you adapted quickly because of the bicycle, but it might have helped a bit. The most important component is that on the tractor your brain does not need to focus on keeping the balance so it can focus entierly on which way to turn the wheel to go in the direction you want.
All those times in the video games where you get to engineer and build your own vehicles, where I was goofing almost constantly because I kept getting hinges the wrong way around and inverting the steering it turns out I was actually doing science and learning a new skill. Nice.
You should let some people who have not ridden the backwards bicycle, try the tractor to see how quickly they learn it. To verify if learning the bicycle helps with learning the tractor.
Bro rudder pedals were backwards brain to my intuition for all of a week on Flight Simulator - first time taxiing went to turn left, pushed my right foot forward and turned right. Broke my brain to use muscles I'd associate with turning my body left and the thing goes right. I understand the mechanics and that ultimately helped (pushing the right pedal pulls the right side of the rudder, pushes your tail left, plane turns right) but to me that's still backwards. The pedals and yoke "turn" opposite directions to turn, you have to give up that the pedals are not a wheel they're a mechanical link to one side of the rudder
loved this little video, Destin! sooooooo funny! similar to what others have mentioned, i think one of the things that makes the bike interesting and difficult is that it fights against your subconscious reactions to what your vestibular system is telling you. in a way, you have to lean in to the direction that you're falling and that goes against every instinct in your brain. it's a lot more visceral and subconscious than the tractor! thanks for giving me something fun to think about this morning! hope your day is wonderful!
Just like backing up a trailer... Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Push left, goes left. Push right, goes right! Feels easyer because it is. Steering a bicycle involves your whole body...
A piece of farm equipment that took my brain a little bit to understand was a Swather for cutting hay. The steering going forward is normal, but is reversed when backing up. Also, having two skid steers that have different control patterns, my brain and hands do a "calibration" when switching between them. Right when I get in, I move both controls and my brain "switches" based on how it reacts.
This silly thing happened while I was replacing a hydraulic cylinder on my tractor. It reminded me of some fun concepts things and made me want to revisit the backwards bike. I filmed this on my phone and was a bit worried about it not being "good enough" for a video.... but I ultimately decided that you might like to think about this as well. Thank you to everyone who supports on Patreon! You make me feel ok about uploading little things like this that I fee are intellectually honest and less produced. I'm excited to send out this year's stickers! The Cicada sticker is more fun than it should be. Click here if you'd like some stickers! www.patreon.com/smartereveryday
I think the tractor was easier because you don't need to relearn balancing, put the bike on training wheels and let people try it that way ;) or make a tri wheeled bike.
I have no way of testing this, but I THINK this is rather different. The bicycle is more reliant on balance. I do not BELIEVE this would be all that difficult to get used to.
you broke your brain lol
Not enough money from views?? Greed
@@smartereveryday Destin, what would happen in an emergency on the backwards bike? Would your brain pick the correct neural pathway? I think learning to drive a zero turn mower is related to this. Great video as always, you make us think. God bless!
that's great. You should try backing up a trailer with the backwards tractor
@@ArmsForThought been there, done that, crushed a barrel. Was at a "tractor fun day" and the organizers had reprogrammed the steer by wire system to Destinize it. Fun times! 🚜➡️⬅️
Love your short content.
@@JeffRAllenCH "to destinize it" love it lol
That was also my first thought. I think it would be realy interesting to have a person test it, who has never backed up a trailer in there life.
I think it's easier to ride the tractor not only because you have experience with the bike, but also when you ride a bike you use steering to keep balance and you do counter-steering when making a turn, all of those things do not apply to a tractor where you only use steering to make a turn, no balance or couter-steering required.
I agree, this is a huge point - I think most people would be able to pick this up fairly quickly!
Not to mention the fact that anyone who has been backing up a vehicle, also has to think opposite on the steering, and when adding a trailer, wagon or wagon train, you have to steer in even more unusual ways
@@ArcyTheFox exactly, we used to drive in reverse
@@maciej5825 nope. There's more room for error on the tractor. You aren't trying to turn and balance at the same time. One move doesn't take you to the concrete like the bike.
The tractor is basically like driving in reverse. That's it. Has nothing to do with the bike or that principle.
True. However, I wonder if he could "feel" the backward steering becoming easier based on his earlier experience with the bike.
I’m sure it was an intentional repair to prevent theft.
What a great idea... I just just put a little valve block there and flip a lever every time I park it to reverse the steering!
It’s way easier to ride this than the bike. I could easily do it.
Until it's parked in your barn wall, or worse in the pool pit
Well except the video itself perhaps given Destin's experience with the bike one
@@bigjay875
or maybe over a cow
“Dustin laughing hysterically”. The captions are golden
Looks like a fun way to find the bottom of a ditch.
There's a reason I was in a relatively open field!
@ just joshing you. I cut ditches for a living, and thumbnail made me instantly pucker. Merry Christmas!
Without the balance component of the bicycle it's the same as driving in reverse (i.e. backing up).
Exactly.
In my opinion its not, a car in forwards or reverse operates the same, I'd say its like reversing a trailer.
How does it operate in the same way? When you look behind when reversing, you have to turn right to go left.
It's like reversing something with a rear steering axle? I don't get the comparison.
@RexMuffin You turn the wheel in the direction you want to go regardless of direction with normal steering. Think of it like 2 parabolic curves on either side of the vehicle, if you turn the wheel left you are traveling along the left curve forward or back, if you turn right than you travel along the right curve. The tractor in this video flips that, which is how a trailer works in reverse because of the pivot point.
(Edit) To clarify, "reversing" is going backwards, if you turn around to face the direction of motion it's no longer really reversing but going forward. This would be more like turning in your seat but not putting it in reverse.
This is truly one of the best RUclips channels of all time. Thanks so much for all the knowledge over the years. Really has had an impact on me.
I've spent my entire life with people saying adults cant learn as fast as children. Now that I'm a teacher I don't believe this to be true at all. I was never able to learn as fast as I can now until I knew how people learned. To prove this point I learned german to A2 in 6 months. I think its a fascinating area to show how if you "lock in" and know how to learn you can achieve amazing results. Young children "lock in" because they are sponges absorbing the world around them. Adults have distractions, they get bored and will stop if they arent seeing results. Knowing about this and pushing through leads to learning.
I want to see backing up a trailer with the reverse tractor.
Backing up a trailer is backwards steering. Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go.
I would think that dentists could do the backwards bike thing well. When they stick that little mirror in your mouth they have to work backwards. I wonder if that would translate to the bike?
Bicycle -> Tractor -> Bugatti Veyron. Backwards brain at 250Mph :D
already hung up on the "you learn faster when you're dedicated thing" because i always felt that was an universal truth that everyone perceived but nobody spoke it out. if you really want it from your own heart you're gonna be 20 times as good at something.
Your brain adapts faster because there's no balance involved to mess with it.
This is also why backing up a trailer has a learning curve, you turn the wheel right for the trailer to go left and vice versa, I still struggle with that.
Steer from the bottom of the wheel.
@@antagonizerrthat’s definitely a game changer. Also when aiming for a tight spot, a smart coworker of mine gave me the cue “follow the trailer”. It’s helped me so much.
I love your passion explaining this things! 2:00
Not to discount the difficulty of the tractor, but I would find this way easier than doing it with a bicycle. Not only do you not need to worry about your balance, but your brain likely already has pathways accounting for turning the opposite direction; think reversing or, even better, reversing with a trailer. I would think the tractor would be a good starting point before upgrading to the bike.
I think most people would pick that up pretty quickly, its the same as backing a car so most would have the knack, the backwards bike works against your balance.
You'd be surprised how bad many people are at backing up, especially backing up a trailer.
I think your point about balance is key. You can think about steering, but the balance has to be trained to become instinctive.
@@username34159265 I was going to mention a trailer. Also there is the challenge of an articulated tractor with implement.
Thank you for showing us who didn't have good dads what we deserved to have. You are a blessing, Destin.
Just a suggestion to try to learn to ride a bicycle that goes forward if we pedal backwards and with this opposite steering thing
Your giggle made my Sunday morning. This is definitely the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
My thoughts went immediately to forklifts, backing up with 1 and 2 axle trailers, and drones (thanks for adding that reference). My wife thinks it's some sort of dark magic when I back up with a boat trailer and put it exactly where I want it to go.
@@JWSteiner beware, that is the laugh of a madman!
Hilarious.
It is Gaudate Sunday after all.
These kinds of videos are my favourites of yours Destin - little moments of curiosity and levity. Exactly the same vibe as the magnetic worms.
The tractor is easier. Using the lower portion of the steering wheel allows you to steer in the direction you want to go. I was taught this when towing a boat. When backing up a two wheel trailer, use the bottom of the steering wheel which will cause the trailer to go in the direction you want
Hand placement has a lot to do with this. If you have your hand on the bottom at 6 oclock ,youre turning in the direction you want to go. Same applies when backing up a trailer. it would def be a lot easier to adapt to this than the bicycle.
1:16 having the same camera placement a decade later, diabolically brilliant!
Starts with Dustin driving a backwards tractor and a goatee lol this will be a good one!
The laught after Destin turns the wheel for the first time just lets you know he's officially gone mad
Best part of watching this channel is Dustin's energy. This video with him laughing makes us all laugh
"We have purposely trained him wrong, as a joke"
LMAO that howl of pure joy he let out when he turned the wheel at the beginning is one of the purest and best things ive seen on here, you can really hear his enthusiasm, i love it
My first thought was about his neighbors. Them not knowing it was special bike. "He really is having trouble learning how to ride a bike as a grown man, poor Destin...."
That maniacal laugh when we first see the tractor steering backwards!
Heavy equipment operators all across the world have been working like this. The major manufacturers all have different controls for similar equipment. Case, John Deere, JB, Cat, etc. When you operate these things for a living you get incredibly proficient and precise with it, but when you use one from a different manufacturer, it forces you to focus and relearn in a matter of days. What’s fascinating is when you go back to the original equipment, it’s not recalling how you did it before, it’s unlearning and trying to forget what you just learned.
A tractor that thinks it's a tiller steered skiff! 😂👍
a few years ago i was camping and someone there had made one of those bikes, i caught a few glimpses of kids trying to ride the bike and i immeditly knew what it was, i searched for a couple hours for the man the built the bike, because i needed to talk to this man. i finally found him and talked to him about the bike and got to give it a try. i didnt have enough time to learn it. but it was great meeting the guy the made it and talk to him.
When I was a kid I came up with the idea of crossing my arms on the handlebars, as a trick to show off. I learned it quite quickly, but it was amazing to see how all my friends would say 'that's easy, I can do that' then instantly faceplant. By the way my solution is a much better engineered 'backwards brain bike' solution. The best part is no part, right? With my technique anyone can try it for free.
So to me the bike seems like it's a lot harder because it's more complex. There's a failure mode where you fall off the bike and you lose feedback once you're there. The tractor is a lot easier because there's no failure mode where you lose feedback, you can easily just instantly correct your mistake and use it to instantly learn.
I think it's funny that you mention the part where your brain needs to figure out which mode you're in, because there are some video games where I have the same reaction when it's in third person.
Some explanation on the scenario: In about all first person games, you move the stick right the camera turns right. But in a lot of older third person games, the camera stick is movement based while still pointing at the character, so this means when you move the stick right, the camera _moves_ right and _turns_ left to continue facing the character. So you have these two different modes where you either move the camera or turn the camera based on its position relative to the player. Some shooters have both of these modes in specific contexts, but for the purposes of aiming, it's always turn based, so there have been many times where I've gone to control the camera to face something and go the completely wrong direction at first while I figure out what the correct mode is.
The aliens are gonna be quite confused when they see Destin driving a tractor in circles in an open field, cackling to himself like a madman
I am a retired pediatric dentist. One of the more challenging skills dentists master is using indirect vision to operate in the maxillary arch. It becomes second nature to use a mirror to direct the instrument. It would be interesting to know how that skill would translate into riding your backwards bicycle.
Just steer from the bottom, not the top. It's how my brain adapts to backing up with a trailer.
i like the casual videos
He inverted the x axis!
I always found it curious that video games give an option to change your controls; up on the controller moves vision down and vice versa. “Invert Y axis” I think it’s called. Why is this a thing?
@@bovinejonie3745, I'm playing Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (a Playstation 2 game from the 90s) on my Playstation 5. It doesn't have the option to change the X axis, and it's incredibly confusing at first since it's backwards from most games nowadays. While I wish I could change it, I know it's probably good for my brain at least... 😅
I think it's because there's two ways of thinking about the camera movement in the game. You can either think of where you want the camera to move, or you can think of where you want the "view" to go. These two ways of thinking result in two different results for what should happen when you push the stick on the controller. There's also the fact that flying games often have inverted inputs that I believe come from old joystick controls that are based on the real flight stick of aircrafts.
@@W1ndows Like doing a push up! You push down on the earth to lift your body up. Awesome answer. 😎
Destin, I would be surprised if you didn’t watch Andrew Camarata here on RUclips. He does equipment maintenance and has built his own castle and stuff. Real brilliant guy. If you haven’t watched him maybe you will add it to your watchlist.
what a reality check seeing that backwards bicycle all rusty, i remember when that video came out lmao, its been so long already
Got home from church and found a new video - great day for many reasons. Just a thought, maybe find a dentist and see how quickly they can ride the backward bicycle. We are accustomed to working in a mirror all day. I’ll never forget the frustration in learning how to work “backwards” nor the satisfaction on the day it clicked and became second nature.
Keep up the good work.
When I was a young teen, we boys at church made a backward steering bike in the repair shop. None of us could ride it except for one ex-amish teen who had never ridden a bike. He picked up on it in an hour or so and was the only one to successfully ride our creation.
I had this with an overhead projector at church back in the day. Moving the transparency sheet up and to the left moves the projected image down and to the right. My brain adjusted to learn it.
I've been waiting for this since the backwards bicycle.
What’s missing here is a drone shot of the crazy lines in the field while you trying to learn to drive it! 😂
Your laugh always makes me smile, Destin! I always love these short “everyday curiosity” videos. They remind us that the world around is a fascinating place if you keep an open mind!
That laugh.... You are winning at life! Brings me joy seeing people get so excited about the "Simple" things in life, I love it!
lmao, as a drone pilot I always thought that the backwards bike seemed like it wouldn't be too hard to pickup. The tractor would be instant though
Smarter Every Day - come for the Dad jokes, stay for the tractor maintenance. Oh, and some science too.
There is a big difference between the tractor and the bike. Since the tractor has a wheel instead of handle bars, you can actually adapt quicker by simply putting your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Move your hand in the direction you want to go and it works! This is also the trick to use when backing a trailer. Cool video too. I spent many hours on a Ford 3000 back in the 70's and early 80's on our farm. Great tractors!
Do you drive vehicles with attached trailers in reverse? I would think a trick used in such cases would help with the "Backwards Brain Tractor". Steer with your hand starting at the bottom of the steering wheel. Doing so will have your hand moving in the direction you want your "reverse tractor" to go. I find your videos interested and am already part of your Patreon. I'm looking forward to this year's stickers.
Industrial forklifts have the same effect
Seems to me a bit like learning to steer a boat with a tiller.
@@undefined40 Pro tip: Do not learn how to do this in a narrow, man-made canal with masonry walls. Ask me how I know… 🤦♂️
Don't lie to us Destin. It was intentional wasn't it?
Did a bicycle not do the trick?
We had a stand up forklift at work and everyone got so used to it steering backwards that they all got mad at me when I fixed it 🤣. True story!
Being authentic is a sticker magnet 🧲
As soon as I saw your tractor, I thought about learning to back up while driving a trailer. It was difficult until someone told me a trick: hold the steering wheel at the bottom (6 o'clock) instead of the top like you would sheen driving. Then, just move the bottom of the wheel in the direction you want the trailer to move.
That made it much more intuitive and probably used more of my existing skills. I wonder if putting a full circle steering wheel on a backwards bike would make that skill easier to learn as well.
Next on SmarterEveryDay: The Backwards Brain Helicopter!
I'm pretty sure that driving a tractor with reversed steering inputs is an order of magnitude easier than learning to drive the backwards-brain bicycle.
This is a cool throwback. The reverse bicycle was the first video that got me into your whole channel and I had always wanted to support you more because your videos has helped me discover the world in the way I understand things best! Always look forward to all your new finds!
wonder if's easier to adapt to the tractor because you can use the bottom of steering wheel's movement to align with the motion?
I remember the first time I tried using a zero-turn. I could not turn smoothly to save my life! Once I was able to condition my brain to recognize pulling back means slowing down the inside of your turn it made perfect sense to me
I always thought a backwards tractor was a rotcart but hey, im learning everyday! 😂
It reminds me of backing up a trailer brain 😂
You should hook up a mower to the tractor and see what kind of patterns you get lol
My middle school science teacher showed us your videos as a reward for being good students. Im now 21, in college, and have been watching your videos ever since. Love your stuff man, thanks for all the years of awesome videos
It's absolutely true. If I'm uninterested in something, I will not retain the information. If I'm interested, I'm locked in.
Destin already beat the life challenges, now he's just playing on inverted for fun.
Mike Boyd needs to get his hands onto one of these.
My brother-in-law made a backward brain tractor years ago by making one tractor out of 2. The steering rack of the second tractor was on the opposite side of the wheels. Only he could drive it.
That's perfect for trailer reverse. Now the top handle does exactly what you want a trailer to do
I really wanted to see this bike at a juggling convention, jugglers learn a lot of things super quickly
I think the reverse tractor will be much faster to learn for anybody who's used to steering a small boat with a rudder. Maybe something you can test!
Did you know the backwards bicycle concept is used in addiction recovery groups as a metaphor for the recovery journey? It’s more than just a RUclips video. It also illustrates the neurology behind overcoming addiction.”
Yes, many people contact me about this. I hope the metaphor helps aid recovery.
@ Yes, it is.
It happens. Especially when cables and connectors aren't obviously different colors, types, etc. 😂 Personally, I think it's ideal if every connection is a unique color AND attachment type.
Very much reminds me of playing a game where pushing the controller "down" (towards you) makes you fly downward and not climb. Yes, that's a video game not the real world, but it absolutely gives a taste of backwards brain where everything you know is that you pull back (push down) on the controller you go up.
I dont think you adapted quickly because of the bicycle, but it might have helped a bit. The most important component is that on the tractor your brain does not need to focus on keeping the balance so it can focus entierly on which way to turn the wheel to go in the direction you want.
All those times in the video games where you get to engineer and build your own vehicles, where I was goofing almost constantly because I kept getting hinges the wrong way around and inverting the steering it turns out I was actually doing science and learning a new skill. Nice.
I was hoping we’d get an eclipse sticker!!! Thank you so much for that!
You should let some people who have not ridden the backwards bicycle, try the tractor to see how quickly they learn it. To verify if learning the bicycle helps with learning the tractor.
You should put a four-way valve and a microcontroller in there so it randomly swaps each time you start the engine.
I need me some stickers 😎
Bro rudder pedals were backwards brain to my intuition for all of a week on Flight Simulator - first time taxiing went to turn left, pushed my right foot forward and turned right. Broke my brain to use muscles I'd associate with turning my body left and the thing goes right. I understand the mechanics and that ultimately helped (pushing the right pedal pulls the right side of the rudder, pushes your tail left, plane turns right) but to me that's still backwards. The pedals and yoke "turn" opposite directions to turn, you have to give up that the pedals are not a wheel they're a mechanical link to one side of the rudder
@@afraidcone Push left go left, push right go right, just like a bicycle at speed
This has mad scientist energy and I am here for it
Thank you for another interesting and informative video. And the information about the drone pilots is fascinating.
It's like riding a bike, once it's locked into your brain it's locked in
The blue on that tractor is beautiful.
loved this little video, Destin! sooooooo funny!
similar to what others have mentioned, i think one of the things that makes the bike interesting and difficult is that it fights against your subconscious reactions to what your vestibular system is telling you. in a way, you have to lean in to the direction that you're falling and that goes against every instinct in your brain. it's a lot more visceral and subconscious than the tractor!
thanks for giving me something fun to think about this morning! hope your day is wonderful!
That's a lot easier. You just tell yourself the movement on the lower part of the wheel is what corresponds to the direction you wanna go.
Maybe you should organise a backwards tractor race. 🤣🤣🤣
My dad had that same tractor back in the early 90s. This video brought back memories!!
Just like backing up a trailer... Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Push left, goes left. Push right, goes right! Feels easyer because it is. Steering a bicycle involves your whole body...
A piece of farm equipment that took my brain a little bit to understand was a Swather for cutting hay. The steering going forward is normal, but is reversed when backing up.
Also, having two skid steers that have different control patterns, my brain and hands do a "calibration" when switching between them. Right when I get in, I move both controls and my brain "switches" based on how it reacts.
I’m not familiar with that piece of equipment. How does it work?