Cardinal sins
I have owned two 177 RG's and an Arrow IV and have operated them all from grass strips.
Some of the strips were quite short for these type of aircraft (500 metres) and in my opinion the Cardinal is not really suited for these type of operations. It is definately a bit of a ground hugger on take off whether grass or tarmac and I would never consider taking off with a full load from a short strip in one.
The landings also need more attention than other types which don't have a stabilator but once you get the feel for it they are not particularly difficult to land well.
I never had any problems with the undercarriage but you do need an engineer who knows how to set up the micro switches and make sure that the power pack is in good condition.
Most RG types will suffer eventually from continued use on grass due to the nature of the terrain and the additional wear factor on the gear.
I would go for a Cessna 182 fixed gear which is an excellent grass strip a/c but with a higher fuel burn.