4
GUARD AGAINST KICKBACK
Follow all safety rules to help avoid kick-
back and other forces which can result in
serious injury.
Kickback Path
oid Obstructions
Clear The Working Area
WARNING: Avoid kickback which
can result in serious injury. Kickback is
the backward, upward or sudden for-
ward motion of the guide bar occurring
when the s aw chain near the upper tip of
the guide bar c ontacts any object such
as a log or branch, or when the wood
closes in and pinches the saw chain in
the c ut. Contacting a foreign object in
the wood ca n also result in loss of chain
saw control.
S RotationalKickbackcan occur when
the moving chain contacts an object at
the upper tip of the guide bar. Thisc on-
tact can cause the chain to dig into the
object, which stops the c hain for an
instant. The result is a lightning fast,
reverse reaction which kicks the guide
bar up and back toward the operator.
S Pinch-Kickback can o ccur when the
the wood closes in and pinches the
moving s aw chain in the cut along the
top of the guide bar and the saw chain
is suddenly stopped. This s udden
stopping of the chain results in a rever-
sal of the chain force used to cut wood
and causes the saw to move in the op-
posite direction of the chain rotation.
The saw is driven straight back toward
the operator.
S Pull-In canoccurwhenthemoving
chain contacts a foreign object in the
wood in the cut along the bottom of the
guide bar and the saw chain is s ud-
denly stopped. This sudden s topping
pulls the saw forward and away from
the operator and could easily cause
the operator to lose control of the s aw.
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
The followi ng precautions should be fol-
lowed to minimize kickback:
S Recognize that kickback can happen.
Wit h a basic understandi ng of kickback,
you can reduce the eleme nt of surpri se
which contri but es to accidents.
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 obstruction that your saw
chain c ould hit while c utting.
S When cutting a branch, do not let the
guide bar c ontact another branch or
other objects around it.
S Keep saw c hain sharp and properly
tensioned.A loose or dullchain can in-
crease the chance of kickback. Follow
manufacturer’s c hain sharpening and
maintenance instructions. Check ten-
sion at regular intervals, but neve r with
engine running. Make sure bar mount-
ing n uts are securely tightened.
S Begin and continue cutting at full
speed. If the chain is moving at a slow-
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 for s hifting logs or other objects
that could close a cut and pinch or fall
onto c hain.
S Use the spec ified Reduced-Kickback
Guide Ba r and Low Kickback Chain.
Avoid Pinch--Kickback:
S Be extremely aware of situati ons or ob-
str u cti ons that can cause material to
pinch the top of or otherwi se stop th e
chain.
S Do not cut more than one log at a time.
S Do not twist the saw as the bar is with-
drawn from an undercut when bucking.
A voi d Pull-In:
S Always begin cutting with the saw at
full speed a nd the saw housing
against wood.
S Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metal to hold the cut open.
MAINTAIN CONTROL
Never Reverse
Hand Positions
Correct Position Correct Grip Incorrect Grip
eep a
irm grip
with both hands,
left thumb under
handle
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