Poulan 4400-4900-5400 User Manual - Page 9

CENTER SPREAD OPERATING YOUR CHAIN SAW • Wear your protective gear. • Before you start the engine, make sure the saw chain is not contacting anything. • Keep all parts of your body away from the saw chain when the engine is running. • Hold the chain saw firmly with both hands when the engine is running. Use a firm grip with thumbs and fingers encircling the chain saw handles. • Do not let the nose of the guide bar contact a log, branch, the ground, or any other obstruction, to help prevent kickback. • Guard against kickback. Kickback is the upward motion of the guide bar which occurs when the saw chain at the nose of the guide bar contacts an object. Kickback can lead to dangerous loss of control of the chain saw. • Do not overreach. You might lose your balance. • Do not cut above shoulder height. Don't cut overhead, since you would have poor control of the saw and the saw would be too close to your face and body. • Use extreme caution when cutting small size brush and saplings because slender material may catch the saw chain and be whipped toward you or pull you off balance. • When cutting a limb that is under tension be alert for springback, so that you will not be struck by the limb when the tension in the wood fibers is released. • Be sure that the saw chain stops moving when the throttle control trigger is released. • After cutting, shut off the engine before setting the saw down. • Let the saw cool in a non-combustible area, not on dry leaves or paper. • Wipe off oil before storing the chain saw. Do not store your chain saw in any room with any type open flame heater or stove. Store the saw in a locked area or in an area away from children. • Follow manufacturer's sharpening and maintenance instructions for the saw chain. • Always do your cutting at high engine speed. CONTROLLING KICKBACK by Lloyd Tuggle KICKBACK may happen when the nose or tip of the moving chain touches an object while the saw is operating. This contact may abruptly STOP the cutting action and in some cases may cause a lightning fast reverse REACTION, kicking the saw tip up and back. KICKBACK has caused some operators to lose control of the saw. The cutting chain can then cause injury if it comes in contact with any part of the body. As a chain saw user you can take several steps to keep your cutting free from accident or injury due to kickback. 1. By simply UNDERSTANDING and knowing about kickback you take out the element of SURPRISE. It's the SURPRISE that really contributes to accidents. 2. Make sure your HAND GUARD is securely fastened to the handlebar AT ALL TIMES. 3. Make sure the area in which you are cutting is FREE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS such as other trees, branches, rocks, fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate or avoid any obstructions that your saw chain could hit while you are cutting through a particular log or branch. 4. Keep a good firm grip on the saw with BOTH hands. (Left hand completely around the front handlebar with thumb under and the right hand completely around the rear handle.) A FIRM GRIP can neutralize kickback and help you maintain COMPLETE CONTROL of the saw. DON'T LET GO. Your Poulan chain saw is a reliable and powerful cutting tool. Please use it safely and carefully so that each cutting job is SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE. Controlling kickback is really a partnership between you and Poulan. GOOD CUTTING. Lloyd Tuggle, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Beaird-Poulan Clear Working Area Avoid Obstructions Good Firm Grip With Both Hands