Stihl MSA 200 C-BQ Instruction Manual - Page 16

English WARNING Never operate your chain saw without a front hand guard. In a kickback situation this guard helps protect your left hand and other parts of your body. In addition, removal of the hand guard on a chain saw equipped with a Quickstop chain brake will disable the activation mechanism of the chain brake. WARNING No Quickstop or other chain brake device prevents kickback. These devices are designed to reduce the risk of kickback injury, if activated, in certain kickback situations. In order for the Quickstop to reduce the risk of kickback injury, it must be properly maintained and in good working order. See the chapter of your instruction manual entitled "Chain Brake" and the section "Maintenance, Repair and Storing" at the end of these Safety Precautions. In addition, there must be enough distance between the bar and the operator to ensure that the Quickstop has sufficient time to activate and stop the saw chain before potential contact with the operator. WARNING An improperly maintained chain brake may increase the time needed to stop the saw chain after activation, or may not activate at all. Low Kickback Saw Chain and Reduced Kickback Bars STIHL offers a variety of bars and saw chains. STIHL reduced kickback bars and low kickback saw chains are designed to reduce the risk of kickback injury. Other saw chains are designed to achieve higher cutting performance or sharpening ease, but in turn are more prone to kickback. STIHL has developed a color code system to help you identify the STIHL reduced kickback bars and low kickback saw chains. Cutting attachments with green warning labels on the packaging are designed to reduce the risk of kickback injury. The matching of green marked or labeled chain saws with green labeled bars and green labeled saw chains gives compliance with the computed kickback angle requirements of the chain saw standards when the products are in their original condition. Products with yellow labels are for users with extraordinary cutting needs, having experience and specialized training for dealing with kickback. STIHL recommends the use of its green labeled reduced kickback bars, green labeled low kickback saw chains and a chain saw equipped with a STIHL Quickstop chain brake for both experienced and inexperienced chain saw users. Please ask your STIHL dealer to properly match your chain saw with the appropriate bar/saw chain combination to reduce the risk of kickback injury. Green labeled bars and saw chains are recommended for all chain saws. See your "STIHL Bar and Chain Information" leaflet for details. WARNING Use of other, non-listed bar/saw chain combinations may increase kickback forces and increase the risk of kickback injury. New bar/saw chain combinations may be developed after publication of this literature, which will, in combination with certain electric chain saws, comply with the chain saw standards as well. Check with your STIHL dealer for such combinations. WARNING Reduced kickback bars and low kickback saw chains do not prevent kickback, but they are designed to reduce the risk of kickback injury. They are available from your STIHL dealer. WARNING Even if your saw is equipped with a Quickstop, a reduced kickback bar and/or low kickback saw chain, this does not eliminate the risk of injury by kickback. Therefore, always observe all safety precautions to avoid kickback situations. Low Kickback Saw Chain Some types of saw chains have specially designed components to reduce the force of nose contact kickback. STIHL has developed low kickback saw chains for your chain saw. A "low kickback saw chain" is a saw chain that has met the kickback performance requirements of ANSI/OPEI B175.1-2012 when tested according to the provisions specified in ANSI/OPEI B175.1-2012. WARNING There are potential chain saw and bar combinations with which low kickback saw chains can be used which have not 14 MSA 160 C, MSA 200 C