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GUARD AGAINST KICKBACK
Follow all safety rules t o help avoid kick-
back and other for ces which can r esult in
serious injury.
Kickback Path
A
v
oid Obstructions
Clear The W orking Area
WARNING: Avoid kickback which
can result in serious injury. Kickback is
the backward, upward or sudden for-
ward motion of the guide bar occ urring
whenthes aw chainnear theuppertip of
the guide bar contacts any object such
as a log or branch, or when the wood
closes in and pinches the saw chain in
the cut. Contacting a foreign object in
the wood can also result in loss of chain
saw control.
S RotationalKickbackcan occurwhen
themoving chain contactsan objectat
theuppertipoftheguidebar.Thisc on-
tactcan cause the chain todig into the
object, which stops the chain for an
instant. The result is a lightning fast,
reverse reaction whichk icks theguide
bar up and back toward the operator.
S Pinch-Kickback can o ccur when the
the wood closes in and pinches the
moving saw chain in the cut along the
top of the guide bar and the saw chain
is suddenly stopped. This sudden
stoppingofthechainresults in arever-
sal ofthe chainforce used to cut wood
and causes thesaw to move in theop-
posite direction of the chain rotation.
The saw is drivenstraightback toward
the operator.
S Pull- I n can occur when the moving
chain cont acts a foreign object in the
wood in the cut al ong the bottom of the
guide barand the saw chain is suddenly
stopped. This sudden stopping pulls t he
saw f or war d and away f r om t he opera-
torandcould easilycaus e the operator
to lose control of the saw.
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
The f oll owi ng pr ecauti ons shoul d b e f ol-
lowed to minimize kickback:
S Recognize that kickback can happen.
Wit h a basic understanding of kickback,
you can re duce the ele m ent of surp rise
which cont r i butes to accident s.
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 trees, branches,
rocks, fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate
or avoid any obs truction that your saw
chain could hit while cutting.
S When cutting a branch, do not let the
guide bar contact another branch or
other objects around it.
S Keep saw c hain sharp and properly
tensioned.Alooseor dullchain canin-
crease the chance ofkickback.Follow
manufacturer’s chain sharpening and
maintenance instructions. Check ten-
sionatregularintervals,butneve rwith
engine running. Make sure bar clamp
nuts are securely tightened.
S Begin and continue cutting at full
speed. Ifthe chainis moving ataslow-
er speed, there is greater chance of
kickback occurring.
S Use extreme caution when re-enter-
ing a cut.
S Do not attempt cuts starting with the tip
of the bar (plunge cuts).
S Watch forshifting logsor 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 o f situations or
obstructions that can cause material
to pinch the top of or otherwise s top
the chain.
S Do notcut more thanone log ata time.
S
Do not twist the saw as the bar is with-
drawn from an undercut when buck-
ing.
A voi d Pull-I n :
S Always begin cutting with the saw at
full speed and the saw housing
against wood.
S Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metal to hold the cut open.
MAINTAIN CONTROL
S A good, firm grip o n the s aw with b oth
hands will help you maintain c ontrol.
Don’t let go. Grip the rear handle with
your right hand whether you are right
orlefthanded.Wrapthe fingersofyour
left hand o ver and around the front
handlebar, and your left thumb under
the fronthandlebar.Keepyour leftarm
straight with the elbow locked.