Stihl HT-KM Instruction Manual - Page 10

English WARNING To reduce the risk of cut injuries, keep hands and feet away from the saw chain. Never touch a moving chain with your hand or any other part of your body. The saw chain continues to move for a short period after the throttle trigger is released (inertia effect). Accelerating the engine while the chain is blocked increases the load and will cause the clutch to slip continuously. This may result in overheating and damage to important components (e.g. clutch, polymer housing components) - which can then increase the risk of injury from the chain moving while the engine is idling. WARNING If the chain becomes clogged, always shut off the engine and make sure the chain has stopped before cleaning. WARNING Prior to limbing, clear the working area from interfering limbs and brush. Then, establish an escape area away from where the cut limbs can fall, and remove all obstacles. Keep work area clear - move away fallen limbs. Place all tools and equipment at a safe distance from the branches being limbed, but not in the escape area. WARNING Always observe the general condition of the tree. Look for decay and rot in the trunk and branches. If it is rotted inside, it could snap and fall toward the operator while being cut. Also look for broken or dead branches which could vibrate loose and fall on the operator. If the branch is thick or heavy, make a shallow relief cut on the bottom of the branch before cutting down from the top to help prevent splitting of the branch. See chapter on "Using the Unit". max WARNING To reduce the risk of severe or even fatal injury from falling objects do not cut vertically above your body. Hold the pole pruner at an angle of not more than 60° from the horizontal level (see picture). Objects may fall in unexpected directions. Do not stand directly underneath the limb being cut! Watch for falling wood! As soon as the limbed branch starts to fall, step aside and keep a sufficient distance away from the falling wood. 473BA008 KN WARNING Always pull the unit out of the cut with the chain running to reduce the possibility of pinching the cutting attachment. Don't put pressure on the pole pruner when reaching the end of a cut. The pressure may cause the bar and rotating chain to pop out of the cut or kerf, go out of control and strike some other object. If the bar becomes pinched and caught in the branch so that the chain can no longer move, shut off the pole pruner and carefully move the branch to open the pinch and release the bar. WARNING If a rotating saw chain strikes a rock or other hard object, sparks may be created, which can ignite flammable materials under certain circumstances. Flammable materials can include dry vegetation and brush, particularly when weather conditions are hot and dry. When there is a risk of fire or wildfire, do not use a power tool around flammable materials or around dry vegetation or brush. Contact your local fire authorities or the U.S. Forestry Service if you have any question about whether vegetation and weather conditions are suitable for the use of a pole pruner. WARNING The gearbox becomes hot during operation. To reduce the risk of burn injury, do not touch the gear housing when it is hot. 8 HT-KM