In any business efficiency and versatility are key. Farmers and contractors across Europe can easily work with one single, multipurpose tractor for a wide range of tasks throughout the year. This approach not only simplifies operations but also saves costs, and potentially provides additional income. With rising input costs, volatile markets, and unpredictable extreme weather, many farmers are looking for ways to use their skills and equipment to supplement their traditional farm incomes throughout the year. In 2024, 34% of UK farmers surveyed in the NFU Mutual 'Voice of the Farmer 2024' responded that they had already diversified their farms to some degree. Valtra offers a high level of tractor customisation for more efficient working and a broader range of tasks. In this blog, we look at some of the ways you can use your multipurpose Valtra 365 days of the year.
The Power of One: Versatility at Its Best
Many farms are diversifying their income streams to mitigate volatile markets, overcome downturns, and protect against losses from more frequent extreme weather events. According to some sources, farm income diversification can reduce a farm’s financial risk by 40-60%, improve income stability by 30-40%, and ultimately increase profit margins by up to 25-35%. As well as direct-to-customer sales of farm produce, farmers’ markets, and agritourism, your existing farm machinery and expertise can also potentially provide an income stream during less busy times.
Your multipurpose Valtra tractor can handle field work such as precision crop protection and fertiliser application, ploughing, seeding, and harvesting in the summer, as well as snow ploughing and de-icing in the winter, sweeping and gravel grading in the spring, and front loading and material handling and transport all year round. A few simple customisations can equip your tractor to earn all year round.
Customisation: Tailored to Your Needs
One of the standout features of Valtra tractors is how easy it is to customise to your precise needs. The Valtra Unlimited Studio, located within the Valtra factory, allows customers to tailor their tractors to meet specific needs. Whether it’s adding specialised implements for winter contracting work or equipping the tractor with advanced technology such as Smart Top Link for precision agriculture, the possibilities are endless. Unlike with other tractor brands, this is all offered in-house from a one-stop-shop solution and is covered by a factory warranty.
Year-Round Tractor Tasks Made Easy
Winter: Snow Ploughing and De-Icing
Winter can be a challenging time for farmers and contractors. Snow and ice can disrupt daily operations and make roads impassable. As reported by Farmers Weekly, farmers in the UK came to the rescue clearing roads during the heavy snows of winter 2024-25. In rural areas, snow ploughing services can be scarce or delayed. Valtra tractors equipped with snow ploughs and de-icing equipment are ideally suited to vital snow-clearing tasks both in towns and rural, isolated communities. Offering winter contracting services can provide useful additional income from your existing equipment during less busy times of the year. The high-speed transmission and powerful engines ensure that snow removal is quick and efficient, while the comfortable cab keeps the operator warm and focused. In a recent independent competitor comparison, the Valtra Q Series cab was found to be one of the fastest-warming cabs with a recorded temperature increase of 1.85 degrees Celsius per minute.
Valtra Unlimited makes it easy to specify customisations and implements for a variety of snow-handling tasks. For example, the Vuomet Underbody Scraper with ISOBUS can be used to de-ice roads in the winter and level gravel paths in the spring, summer, and autumn.
Check out this video to see how Valtra tractors are the ideal snow-handling machines.
Spring and Autumn: A Perfect Tractor for Lifting, Loading, Mowing, Hedge Cutting and More…
Valtra front loaders are factory-fitted and fully integrated into the tractor’s chassis, making them perfectly suited for heavy lifting around the farm. Some farmers still believe that a farm needs both a tractor and a telehandler. The truth is, that unless you need to lift loads especially high, a telehandler is not always the right option because it lacks the bulldozer power of a tractor. Valtra tractors up to 305 hp can be factory-fitted with a front loader. Also, due to their versatility, tractors usually retain a better second-hand value than specialised wheeled loaders. Detaching and reattaching the front loader is quick and easy thanks to the Lock and Go quick couplings so you can efficiently move from lifting to other tasks.
Valtra tractors’ iconic sloping bonnet offers market-leading visibility which is ideal for precision front loader tasks that demand clear forward vision. Finnish organic dairy farmer Ville Kari uses his Valtra tractors, including an N175 Direct with a front loader, to manage multiple income streams. As well as his dairy business, he raises bulls, undertakes agricultural contracting and forestry work and sells gravel from his own gravel pit. On the farming side, Ville takes full advantage of Valtra’s Precision Lift and Load features: “We have an organic farm, which means we have to keep a constant record of the feed balance. The feed balance shows how much feed has been made, how much has been fed and how much is left. Location information is also required to determine how much feed is in each bunker, silo or bale. Precision Lift & Load is a huge help in maintaining the feed balance.” He explains that Precision Lift and Load also helps with the gravel supply side of his business noting how it makes quantifying easier using the in-built precision weighing functions.
The same multipurpose Valtra tractor can be turned to highway maintenance contracting work. Direct Enviro Services Ltd in Kent, UK started as a business specialising in hedge cutting and road verge maintenance as well as agricultural contracting services. Nowadays the company operates an N174 Direct and N135 Direct, both with Spearhead Twiga Orbital S67 6.7m side-arm hedge and verge cutters, and Votex front mowers. Business owner, Will Clarke notes that ease of use is a primary factor when choosing Valtra “We have always specified Valtra's Direct CVT transmission for its ease of use. It's extremely smooth and the ideal speed can be selected for any situation. It's great for shuttling too. Roadside hedge and verge cutting require frequent changes of direction, and with Direct transmission, there is no clutch or gear lever to worry about. The operator just touches a joystick-mounted button.”
Watch this walkaround of a Valtra N175 Versu with Noremat Reach Mower makes road verge maintenance easy.
Summer: Making Hay (and Additional Income) While the Sun Shines
While summer is no doubt your peak season, there is still scope for supplementing your farm income. Offering precision agriculture contracting services to neighbouring farms can make use of your smart farming tractor (and skills). The savings in inputs your Valtra offers could be attractive to other farmers.
Valtra has the best autoguidance on the market, and our smart farming technology is famously easy to use. Driver and task profiles can easily be changed in the SmartTouch terminal. Why not take advantage of this ease of use and rent out your Valtra tractor to neighbouring farmers while you are not using it?
The Economic Advantage of Using One Tractor All Year Round
Using one multipurpose tractor instead of separate specialised handlers and mowers offers significant economic benefits. Operators only need to learn how to use one machine, which reduces training time and increases productivity. Maintenance costs are reduced, as there is only one vehicle to service. Valtra’s Connect, Care, and Go offers easy cost prediction and additional peace of mind.
Working all year with one Valtra tractor is not only easy but also cost-effective. The versatility and customisation options available through Valtra Unlimited Studio make these tractors the perfect choice for farmers and contractors across Europe. Book a demo with your local Valtra Dealer to see how investing in a multipurpose tractor can streamline your operations, save money, and ensure that you are always ready for whatever task comes your way.
See how easy it is to customise your own Valtra exactly the way you need it with our Customise and Quote tool. At the end, you will receive a price for your configuration and can send it directly to your local dealer from the Get a Quote tab.
