4
GUARD AGAINST KICKBACK
Follow all safety rules to help avoid k ick-
back and other forces which can result in
serious injury.
Kickback Path
A
v
oid Obstructions
Clear The Working Area
WARNING: Avoid kickback which
canresult in serious injury. Kickback is
the backward, upward or sudden for-
ward motion of the guide bar occurring
whenthe saw chain near the uppertip of
the guide bar contactsany object such
as a log or branch, or when the wood
closes in and pinches the saw chain in
the cut. Contacting a foreign objectin
thewood can also result in loss of chain
saw control.
SRotationalKickbackc an occur when
themoving chain contacts an objectat
theupper tip of theguide bar. This con-
tactcan cause the chain to dig into the
object, which stops the chain for an
instant. The result is a lightning fast,
reversereaction which kicks theguide
bar up and back towardthe operator.
SPinch-Kickbackca n occur when the
the wood closes in and pinches the
movingsaw chain in the cut along the
topof the guide bar and the saw chain
is suddenly stopped. This sudden
stoppingof the chain resultsin a rever-
salof the chain force used to cut wood
andcauses the saw to move in the op-
posite direction of the chain rotation.
Thesaw is driven straight back toward
the operator.
SPull-In canoccurwhenthemoving
chain contacts a foreign object in the
woodin the cut along the bottomof the
guide bar and the saw chain is sud-
denly stopped. This sudden stopping
pulls the saw forwardand away from
the operator and could easily cause
theoperator to lose control ofthe saw.
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
The following precautions should be fol-
lowed to minimize kickback:
SRecognize that kickback can happen.
Witha basic unde rstanding of kickback,
you can reducethe element of surprise
which contributes toa ccidents.
SNever let the moving chain contact
any object at the tipof the guide bar.
SKeep working areafree from obstruc-
tions such as other trees, branches,
rocks, fences, stumps, etc.Eliminate
oravoid any obstruction that your saw
chain could hitwhile cutting.
SWhen cutting a branch,do not let the
guide bar contact another branch or
otherobjects around it.
SKeep saw chain sharp and properly
tensioned.A loose or dullchain can in-
creasethe chance of kickback. Follow
manufacturer’schain sharpening and
maintenanceinstructions. Check ten-
sionat regular intervals,but never with
enginerunning. Make sure bar mount-
ing nuts aresecurely tightened.
SBegin and continue cutting at full
speed.If the chain is moving at a slow-
er speed, there is greater chance of
kickbackoccurring.
SUse extreme caution when re-enter-
ing a cut.
SDonot atte mpt cuts starting with the tip
of the bar (plunge cuts).
SWatchfor shiftinglogs or other objects
thatcould close a cut and pinch or fall
onto chain.
SUse the specified Reduced-Kickback
Guide Bara nd Low Kickback Chain.
Avoid Pinch--Kickback:
SBe extremelya wareof situations or ob-
structions that can cause material to
pinch the top of or otherwisestop the
chain.
SDonot cut more than one log at a time.
SDo not twistthe saw as thebar is with-
drawn froman un dercut when bucking.
AvoidPull-In:
SAlways begin cutting with thes aw at
full speed and the saw housing
against wood.
SUse wedges made ofplastic or wood.
Neveruse metal to hold the cut open.
MAINTAINCONTROL
NeverRever se
HandPos itions
CorrectPosition CorrectGrip Incorrect Grip
K
eepa
f
irm grip
withboth hands,
leftthumb under
handle