Will my hand always activate the chain
brake during a kickback?
No. It takes a certain force to move the hand guard forward.
If your hand only lightly touches the front guard or slips
over it, the force may not be enough to trigger the chain
brake. You should also maintain a firm grip of the chain saw
handles while working. If you do and experience a
kickback, your hand may never leave the front handle and
will not activate the chain brake, or the chain brake will only
activate after the saw has swung around a considerable
distance. In such instances, the chain brake might not have
enough time to stop the saw chain before it touches you.
There are also certain positions in which your hand cannot
reach the front hand guard to activate the chain brake; for
example, when the saw chain is held in felling position.
Will my inertia activated chain brake
always activate during kickback in the
event of a kickback?
No. First your brake must be in working order. Testing the
brake is simple, see instructions under the heading
Checking, maintaining and servicing chain saw safety
equipment. We recommend you do before you begin each
work session. Second the kickback must be strong enough
to activate the chain brake. If the chain brake is too sensitive
it would activate all the time which would be a nuisance.
Will my chain brake always protect me
from injury in the event of a kickback?
No. First, the chain brake must be in working order to provide
the intended protection. Second, it must be activated during
the kickback as described above to stop the saw chain. Third,
the chain brake may be activated but if the bar is too close to
you the brake might not have enough time to slow down and
stop the chain before the chain saw hits you.
Only you and proper working technique can eliminate
kickback and its danger.
Throttle lockout
The throttle lockout is designed to prevent accidental
operation of the throttle control. When you press the lock
(A) (i.e. when you grasp the handle) it releases the throttle
control (B). When you release the handle the throttle
control and the throttle lockout both move back to their
original positions. This arrangement means that the throttle
control is automatically locked at the idle setting. (5)
Chain catcher
The chain catcher is designed to catch the chain if it snaps
or jumps off. This should not happen if the chain is properly
tensioned (see instructions under the heading Assembly)
and if the bar and chain are properly serviced and
maintained (see instructions under the heading General
working instructions).
Right hand guard
Apart from protecting your hand if the chain jumps or
snaps, the right hand guard stops branches and twigs from
interfering with your grip on the rear handle.
Vibration damping system
Your machine is equipped with a vibration damping system
that is designed to reduce vibration and make operation
easier.
The machine ' s vibration damping system reduces the
transfer of vibration between the engine unit/cutting
10 – English
GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
equipment and the machine ' s handle unit. The body of the
chain saw, including the cutting equipment, is insulated
from the handles by vibration damping units.
Cutting hardwoods (most broadleaf trees) creates more
vibration than cutting softwoods (most conifers). Cutting
with cutting equipment that is blunt or faulty (wrong type or
badly sharpened) will increase the vibration level.
WARNING! Overexposure to vibration can
!
lead to circulatory damage or nerve
damage in people who have impaired
circulation. Contact your doctor if you
experience symptoms of overexposure to
vibration. Such symptoms include
numbness, loss of feeling, tingling,
pricking, pain, loss of strength, changes
in skin colour or condition. These
symptoms normally appear in the fingers,
hands or wrists. These symptoms may be
increased in cold temperatures.
Stop switch
Use the stop switch to switch off the engine.
Muffler
The muffler is designed to reduce noise levels and to direct
exhaust fumes away from the user.
WARNING! The exhaust fumes from the
!
engine are hot and may contain sparks
which can start a fire. Never start the
machine indoors or near combustible
material!
In areas with a hot, dry climate there is a high risk of fires.
These areas are sometimes subject to government rules
requiring among other things the muffler must be equipped
with an approved type of spark arrestor screen (A). (6)
CAUTION! The muffler gets very hot during and after
use. This also applies during idling. Be aware of the fire
hazard, especially when working near flammable
substances and/or vapours.
WARNING! Never use a saw without a
!
muffler, or with a damaged muffler. A
damaged muffler may substantially in-
crease the noise level and the fire hazard.
Keep fire fighting equipment handy. If a
spark arrestor screen is required in your
area, never use the saw without or with a
broken spark arrestor screen.
Cutting equipment
This section describes how to choose and maintain your
cutting equipment in order to:
• Reduce the risk of kickback.
• Reduce the risk of the saw chain breaking or jumping off
the bar.
• Obtain optimal cutting performance.
• Extend the life of cutting equipment.
• Avoid increasing vibration levels.
1154212-49 Rev.8 2014-12-03