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3
WARNING DANGER
Read the operator’s manual carefully. Be familiar with the con-
trols and the proper use of the unit. Know how to shut the unit
off, and how to unhook a harnessed unit quickly.
CONTENTS
GRAPHIC WARNINGS .................................................................................................................................. 2
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ............................................................................................................................... 3
DEFINITION OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................... 5
CURVED SHAFT MODELS — CLOCKWISE ROTATION ......................................................................... 6
STRAIGHT SHAFT MODELS — COUNTERCLOCKWISE ROTATION ................................................... 7
PROTECTIVE DEVICES ................................................................................................................................8
COMBINATION OF CUTTING HEADS, SHIELDS, HANDLES, ETC. ....................................................... 9
RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION ................................................................................................................... 10
CUTTING WITH NYLON LINE .................................................................................................................... 16
CUTTING WITH BLADES ............................................................................................................................. 21
ECHO ATTACHMENTS AND ACCESSORIES ............................................................................................ 24
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Do not allow a person to use this unit unless instructions
are read and understood. Never allow children to operate
or play with the unit.
• There is a great risk of eye loss from thrown objects.
Always wear qualified eye protection in accordance with
ANSI Standard Z87.1.
• Wear proper clothing to protect feet, legs, and other
exposed parts of your body. Wear hearing protection
devices. Also wear dust masks to filter out pollen and
other irritants when deemed necessary.
• Do not wear opened-toed shoes or go barefoot or bare-
legged. Do not wear loose or dangling clothing, neckties,
scarfs, or jewelry which could be caught in the unit or the
underbrush.
• Keep people out of the danger zone. This is a circle 15
meters in radius (about 16 paces) around the unit and
operator.
• Require any persons outside the 15-meter danger zone to
wear eye protection to help protect them from thrown
objects.
• If necessary to cut where people or cars could be hit by
thrown objects, cut at reduced (slow) throttle speed to
reduce the speed of the nylon line or blade, thus reducing
the velocity of thrown objects.
• Adjust the handle to a position for comfort and good
balance as recommended in this manual.
• Check that the cutting line or blade of the unit is away from
your feet and legs.
• Be sure the unit is assembled properly.
• The muffler side of the engine should be away from your
body. This is necessary to avoid arm burns.
• The unit is designed to be used while positioned on the right
side.
• Always use the appropriate harness, properly worn, when one
is provided with the unit. Balance the unit as recommended by
adjusting the position of the harness clamp on the shaft. If the
unit is not provided with a harness, you can obtain one from
your dealer to reduce fatigue from operation.
• Follow instructions in this manual when operating the unit
with a blade. The blade can be made of metal or other
materials such as rubber or plastic. Do not use this unit as a
hammer, lever, crowbar, hatchet or ax. Do not misuse the
blade or the unit. Do not raise the line or blade head above
your knee height. Your unit is not a pruner, hedge trimmer or
chain saw and should not be substituted for these tools.
• When operating the unit with a blade, be sure the blade is
attached to the unit as designed, such as with a locknut and
cotter pin. Also, be sure the blade unit has a metal debris
shield, has either a metal bar handle or a U-handle, and is
suspended from a shoulder harness.