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S Do not put pressure on the pruner at the end
of the cut. Applying pressure can cause you
to lose control when the cut is completed.
S Do not run the unit at high speed when not
pruning.
S If you strike or become entangled with a for-
eign object, stop the engine immediately and
check for damage. H ave any damage re-
paired by an authorizedservice dealerbefore
attem pting further operations.
S Do not operate a p runer that is damaged, im-
properly adjusted, or not completely and se-
curely assembled. Always replace bar and
chain immediately if it becomes damaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.
S Always stop the unit when work is delayed or
when walking from one cutting location to
another . Stop the engine before setting the
unit down.
S Use only in daylight or good artificial light.
S Use only for jobs explained in this manual.
KICKBACK
WARNING: Avoid kickback which
can result in serious injury . Kickback is the
backward, upward orsudden forwardmotion
of the guide bar occurring when the chain
near the upper tip of the guide bar contacts
any object such as a log or branch, or when
the wood closes in and pinches the chain in
the cut. Contacting a foreign object in the
wood can also result in loss of control.
S Rotational Kickback can occu r wh e n the
moving chain contacts an object at the upper
tip of the guide bar . This contact can cause
the chain to dig into the object, which stops
the chain for an instant. The result is a light-
ning fast, reverse reaction which kicks the
guide bar up and back toward the operator.
S Pinch-Kickbackcanoccurwhenthewood
closes in and pinches the m oving chain in
thecutalongthetopoftheguidebarandthe
chain is suddenly stopped. This sudden
stoppingofthechainresults ina reversalof
the chain force used to cut wood and
causes the pruner to move in the opposite
directionofthechain rotation.Thepruneris
driven straight back toward the operator.
S Pull-In can occur when the moving chain
contactsaforeignobjectinthewoodin thecut
along the bottom of the guide bar and the
chain issuddenly stopped. This sudden stop-
ping pulls the pruner forward and away from
the operator andcould easily cause theoper-
ator to lose control of the pruner .
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
S Recognizethatkickbackcanhappen. With
abasicunderstandingofkickback,youcan
reduce the element of surprise which con-
tributes to accidents.
S Never letthe moving chain contact any ob -
ject at the tip of the guide bar.
S Keep the working area free from obstruc-
tions suchas other trees, branches, rocks,
stumps, etc. Eliminate or a void any
obstruction that your chain could hit while
you a recutting. When cuttinga branch, do
notlettheguidebarcontactbranch o rother
objects around it.
S Keep your chain sharp and properly ten-
sioned. A looseor dullchaincan increasethe
chance of kickback occurring. Follow man-
ufacturer’s chain sharpening and mainte-
nance instructions. Check tension at regular
intervals with the engine stopped, never with
the engine running. Make sure the bar clamp
nut is securely tightened after tensioning the
chain.
S Begin and continue cutting at full speed. If
thechainismovingataslowerspeed,there
is greater chance of kickback occurring.
S Cut one branch at a time.
S Use extreme caution when re-entering a
previous cut.
S Do not attempt cuts starting with the tip of
the bar (plunge cuts).
S Watch for shifting ofwood orother forces that
could close a cut and pinch or fall into chain.
S Use the Reduced--Kickback Guide Bar and
Low--Kickback Chain specified for your unit.
MAINTAIN CONTROL
S Keep a good, firm grip on the pruner with
bothhands whenthe engineis runningand
don’tlet go. A firmgripwillhelp youreduce
kickbackandmaintaincontrol.Keepthefin-
gers of your left hand encircling and your
left thumb under the assist handle. Keep
your right hand completely around the
throttle handlewhetheryourare righthand-
ed or left handed.
S Stand withyour weight evenly balanced on
both feet.
S Standslightlytotheleftsideoftheprunerto
keep your body from being in a direct line
with the cutting chain.
KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES
The following features are included on your
pruner to help reduce the hazard of kickback;
however, such features will not totally eliminate
this danger . As a pruner user, do not rely only
on safety devices. Y ou must follow all safety
precautions, instructions, and maintenance in
this manual to help avoid kickback and other
forces which can result in serious injury.
S Reduced--Kickback Guide Bar, designed
with a small radius tip which reduces the
sizeofthekickbackdangerzoneonthebar
tip.