Hello Xcoder, I see you are in hill country. You need to know this.
1) When driving DOWN HILL, ALWAYS, ALWAYS ALWAYS, use HIGH MULTIPOWER. NO EXCEPTIONS. In high multipower you have engine braking, in low multipower you free wheel(ie gearbox full of neutral). You WILL start driving down a hill one day and start to run away, so DON'T hit the brakes when this happens. Instead train yourself to shift the multipower into high multipower to get engine braking THEN use the brakes as required. If you have an impliment like a tray or back blade on when you run away then you can drop that to keep in a straight line if the tractor starts to go sideways.
I learned to drive on a multipower, so this technique is automatic for me. There is a distinct "feel" when the tractor starts to free wheel in low multipower and once your arseometer is calibrated it won't be a big deal. Find a paddock with a slope with a long CLEAR runout and practise catching the free wheeling as it trys to run away on you.
2)Are your brakes wet or dry? Wet, Good! Dry, Bad very hard to keep balanced. Badly designed, MF put out a kit to improve brake performance, find out if it is fitted, it does make some difference.
3)Widen the rear wheels to the maximum. You will find a MASSIVE difference to the feel of the tractor, it won't roll anywhere near as much. I had dual wheels on mine.
4)Multipower maintenance trick I got from MF mechanic: Remove diff oil dipstick (by right heel) and measure 13mm 1/2' ABOVE the "high" mark and file a new "high" mark and fill to that. If in hills and/or using a loader, then this trick prevents the multipower clutch pack from runnig dry. I had a 178 with a loader and lived in hill country and got some extreame angles when cultivating for green feed crops. In 18 years I never had multipower trouble on that tractor
5) Batttery: I ran without the battery side panels as the engine heat would cook the battery making for short battery life.
6)Almost forgot, if the gearbox "LOCKS UP" when you are going to change direction shift from high to LOW multipower. The lock up is caused by the "hill hold" feature in high multipower. Get the manual. Easy to show and long winded to explain.
Good Luck.
