On many US made traction engines there is a clutch to decouple the rear wheel drive gearing from the crankshaft. This is used when the engine is "in the belt" driving a threshing machine or sawmill, etc. What you see spinning in the video is the clutch spider, a two or three legged affair that expand wooden shoes inside the flywheel for road drive, or retracts the shoes for work in the belt. When in tow, and when the engine crankshaft / flywheel is not spinning, the spider spins inside the stationary flywheel, driven by the road wheel gearing.