Poulan PP4218AVHD Chainsaw User Manual


 
11
OPERATING TIPS
S Check chain tension before first use and
after 1 minute of operation. See CHAIN
TENSION in the ASSEMBLY section.
S Cut wood only . Do not cut metal, plastics,
masonry , non-wood building materials, etc.
S Stop the saw if the chain strikes a foreign
object. Inspect the saw and repair or re-
place parts as necessary.
S Keep the chain out of dirt and sand. Even a
small amount of dirt will quickly dull a chain
andthus increasethepossibility o fkickback.
S Practice cutting a few small logs using the
following techniques to get the“feel” of using
your saw before you begin a major sawing
operation.
S Squeeze the throttle trigger and allowthe
engine to reach full speed before cutting.
S Begin cutting with the saw f rame
against the log.
S Keepthe engineatfull speedthe entire
time you are cutting.
S Allowthechaintocutforyou.Exertonly
light downward pressure. If you force
thecut,damagetothebar ,chain,oren-
gine can result.
S Release the throttle trigger as soon as
the cut is completed, allowing the en-
gine to idle. If you run the saw at full
throttlewithoutacuttingload,unneces-
sary wear can occur to the chain, bar,
and engine. It is recommended that
the engine not be operated for lon-
ger than 30 seconds at full throttle.
S To avoid losing control when cut is com-
plete, do not put pressure on saw at end
of cut.
S Stop the engine before setting the saw
down after cutting.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall while cutting
causing serious injury . Do n ot cut near build-
ings or electrical wires if you do not know the
direction of tree fall, nor cut at night since you
will not be ale to see well, nor during bad
weather such as rain, snow , or strong winds,
etc. If the tree makes contact with any utility
line, the utility company should be notified im-
mediately.
S Carefullyplanyoursawingoperationinad-
vance.
S Clear the work area. You need a clear area
all around the tree so you can have secure
footing.
S The chain saw operator should keep on
the uphill side of the terrain as the tree is
likelytorollorslidedownhillafteritisfelled.
S Study t he natural conditions that can cause
the tree to fall in a particular direction.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
S The wind direction and speed.
S The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
slopingterrain. Useaplumborleveltode-
termine the direction of tree lean.
S Weight and branches on one side.
S Surrounding trees and obstacles.
Look for decay and rot. If thetrunk isrotted,
it can snap and fall toward the operator.
Check for broken or dead branches which
can fall on you while cutting.
Make sure there is enough room for the tree to
fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2 tree lengths
from the nearest person or other objects. En-
gine noise can drown out a warning call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples,andwirefromthetreewherecutsareto
be made.
Plana clearretreatpathtotherearanddiag-
onal to the line of fall.
Direction of Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches (15 cm) in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to felllarge trees.
Anotchiscutonthesideofthetreeinthede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTE: If the tree has large buttress roots,
removethembeforemakingthenotch. Ifus-
ing saw to remove buttress roots, keep saw
chainfromcontactinggroundtopreventdull-
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TH E
TREE
S Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3 ofthe diameter
ofthetree.Nextcompletethenotchbycut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Hinge
Final (
f
elling) cut here, 2 inche
s
(5 cm) above center of notch
S After removing the wood from the notch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side of
thenotch.Thisis donebymakinga cutabout
two inches (5 cm) higher than the center of
thenotch. Thiswillleaveenough uncutwood
between the felling cut and thenotch toform
a hinge. This hinge will helpprevent thetree
from falling in the wrong direction.