Owner's Manual

4
GUARD AGAINST KICKBACK
Follow all safety rules to help avoid kick-
back and other forces which can result in
serious injury.
Kickback Path
A
v
oid Obstructions
Clear The Working Area
WARNING: Avoid kickback which
can result in serious injury. Kickback is
the backward, upward or sudden for-
ward motion of the guide bar occurring
when the s aw chain near the upper tip of
the guide bar c ontacts any object such
as a log or branch, or when the wood
closes in and pinches the saw chain in
the c ut. Contacting a foreign object in
the wood ca n also result in loss of chain
saw control.
S Rot ationa l Kickb ack can occur when
the moving chain contacts an object at
the upper tip of the guide bar. This con-
tactcancausethechaintodigintothe
object, which stops the chain for an
instant. The result is a lightning fast, re-
verse r eacti on which kicks t he gui de bar
up and back toward the operator.
S Pinch- Kickback can occur when the
the wood closes in and pinches the
movi n g saw chain in the cut along the
top of the guide bar and the saw chai n is
suddenly stopped. This sudden stop-
ping of the chain results in a reversal of
the chain force used t o cut wood and
causes the saw to move in the opposite
dir ecti on of the chain rotati on. The saw
is driven str ai ght back towar d the opera-
tor.
S Pull- I n can occur when the moving
chain contacts a foreign object in the
wood in the cut along the bottom of the
guide bar and the saw chain is suddenly
stopped. This sudden stopping pull s the
saw forwar d and away from the opera-
tor and could easil y cause the operator
to lose contr ol of the saw.
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
The followi ng precautions should be fol-
lowed to minimize kickback:
S Recognize that kickback can happen.
Wit h a basic understandi ng of kickback,
you can reduce the eleme nt of surpri se
which contri but es to accidents.
S Never let the moving chain contact any
object at the tip of the guide bar.
S Keep working area free from obstruc-
tions such as other tr ees, branches,
rocks, fences, stumps, etc. Eli minat e or
avoid any obstruct ion that your saw
chain could hit while cutt i ng.
S When cutting a branch, do not let the
guide bar contact another branch or oth-
er objects around it.
S Keep saw chain sharp and pr operl y
tensioned. A loose or dull chain can in-
crease the chance of kickback. Follow
manufacturer’s chain sharpening and
mai ntenance inst ruct i on s. Check ten-
sion at regular interval s, but never with
engi ne running. Make sure bar clamp
nuts are securely tightened.
S Begin and continue cutting at full speed.
If the chain is moving at a slower speed,
there is greater chance of kickback oc-
curri ng .
S Use extr eme caution when re-enter i ng
acut.
S Do not att empt cuts star ti ng with the tip
of the bar (plunge cuts).
S W atch for shift i ng logs or other objects
that could close a cut and pinch or fall
onto chain .
S Use the specified Reduced-Kickback
Guide Bar and Low Kickback Chain.
Avoid Pinch- Ki ckback:
S Be extremely aware of situati ons or ob-
str u cti ons that can cause material to
pinch the top of or otherwi se stop th e
chain.
S Do not cut more than one log at a time.
S
Do not twist the saw as the bar is with-
drawn from an undercut when bucking.
A voi d Pull-In:
S Always begin cutting wit h the saw at full
speed and the saw housing against
wood.
S Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use meta l to hold the cut open.
MAINTAIN CONTROL
S A good, fir m grip on the saw with both
hands will help you maint ain contr ol .
Don’ t let go. Gri p the re ar handle with
your right hand whether you are right or
left hand ed. Wr a p the fi ngers of your lef t
hand over and around the front handle-
bar, and your left thumb under the front
handlebar. Keep your left arm straight
with the elbow locked.