I've done it a few times. I don't like to do it, but it's not going to hurt it short term. The tractors and loaders are generally stored out in the weather until they're sold at the dealers and some owners don't have the luxury of storing them inside. In fact the first 4-5 months of my ownership, Hobbs was stored under a deck until his man cave (shed) was delivered. Long term (years) - the UV light will likely cause the most damage to the exposed seals - This is assuming regular use and proper greasing, the cylinders (exposed chromed parts) will almost always have a nice sheen of oil to protect them and regular fresh grease will keep the wear particles/water/etc out of the joints.

 

Not going to hurt it. Drape the hoses over your frame to orient them in a way that the tips are facing down somewhat. Put caps on them and leave it be. I do this all the time not having that much storage. It doesn’t hurt it. As far as I know sun hazing can happen and dull the paint but I guess that would take half the summer or more. A guy could drape a tarp over it lightly to keep the sun off it or just leave it in the shade

 

Mine lives outside. I don't think there is any way for water to seep in, BUT if I had space I would like to store mine inside. I keep the tractor and mower inside. I really don't want to keep the loader outside all winter in the snow, plus I might be using it for snow removal occasionally. Can you just remove the bucket and leave the loader on when you park it? It doesn't take up much more space that way. Between mowing, I keep the loader on that way and the mower deck just stays in my parking spot unhooked. I just back over it and pull back over it when I park.

Edit: my loader normally stays outside, but if I need the loader between mowing, that's when I park it inside without the bucket. If I don't use the loader, it stays outside. I re-read what I posted and it seemed a bit contradictory.

 

Here in FL in rains just about every afternoon in the summer and a few times a month we get torrential downpours. My loader has been outside in the open fully exposed to them downpours and it ain't no worse for the wear. Never any evidence of water in the hydraulics.

Do as suggested above and store it with the hydraulic lines capped and the caps facing down to help the water run off via gravity and it'll be fine.

I should note however that I don't leave my loader out all the time, it's normally on the tractor which is parked under a roof. If I leave it out it's only for a few days at most.

 

I use my 1025R primarily as a mower. I am juggling storage space as well and left my loader outside on a concrete pad for a few months this year. After a few weeks it occurred to me I should throw a tarp over it to protect the hoses from the sun.

Just this past weekend I started using the tractor for some fairly significant landscape work. When I lifted the loader bucket to max height and full curl, something I rarely do, water started pouring out of the hex-shaped hole on the back of the bucket. A cavity exists between the curved inner surface of the bucket and the squared outer surface. The hex-shaped hole allowed this cavity to fill with rain water. Of course the water coming out was filthy - almost black mixed with rust. I suppose the inner surface of that cavity is not painted, so rust is a real concern if that cavity can't dry out. Maybe there is supposed to be a plug in that hole, but mine didn't come with one.

 

Good point about protecting hydraulic lines from the sun. The sun is ruthless here and will wreck anything left outside long term. Water pouring out of a hex shaped hole... I've never noticed such a hole, I'll have to look for that.

 

Good Works Tractors did a segment on long term storage outside - he wrapped the exposed portions of the cylinders with some greased marine tape - I forget the name.

I have a similar situation - my solution was to get the quick disconnect kit for the loader (see Tractor Time with Tim video), I think it was about $500 - basically a single point lever and youre good to go.

So when I go to mow, I drop the loader, literally leas than a minute, mow, hook it back up again and store the whole thing in shed.

Good works video:

TTWT Video:

 

Lot has been discussed already, but a significant aspect to consider is the environment to which equipment is exposed. I'm recently out of over 40 years mostly associated with the US Navy industrial base (read: long term exposure to salt marine environments). Structural steel component rust, hydraulic cylinder piston surface corrosion, and long term water exposure are ongoing concerns, with the sun (UV rays) being somewhat less of a concern except in the desert areas (yes, the US Navy has those, too).

People have correctly pointed out that Deere dealers leave inventory outside (although most doesn't sit in a new tractor lot for long). Additionally, note that road grading equipment spends pretty much all of its like outdoors. Either way, there will be degradation over time. The question is, then, the costs of storage solutions vs impacts of those solutions.

Here's my short term take: For a couple of years in most environments, it's unlikely that exposure to the elements will degrade the operability of your equipment, although it may fade the paint, bleach the hoses, wires, and other plastics (only you can decide if that matters). Just don't leave it buried in dirt, or let it hold water. My primary concern would be hydraulic cylinders surface corrosion, as those are expensive to replace and once rust sets in there's no solution other than replacement. When not in use, keep them slathered with an element-resistant grease.

Sorry for being long-winded.

 

On my 2038R I take loader off in garage them when i park the mower i just pull in like i am putting loader back on and just park under the loader and leave it on the stands.