Poulan P4018WTL instruction manual Kickback Safety Features, Chain Brake and CKA Angle

KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES

WARNING: The following features are included on your saw to help reduce the hazard of kickback; however, such features will not totally eliminate this danger. As a chain saw user, do not rely only on safety de- vices. You must follow all safety precau- tions, instructions, and maintenance in this manual to help avoid kickback and other forces which can result in serious injury.

SReduced--Kickback Guide Bar, designed with a small radius tip which reduces the size of the kickback danger zone on the bar tip. A Reduced--Kickback Guide Bar has been demonstrated to significantly re- duce the number and seriousness of kick- backs when tested in accordance with safety requirements for gasoline powered

chain saws as set by ANSI B175.1.

Reduced Kickback Symmetrical Guide Bar

Small Radius Tip

Symmetrical Guide Bar

Large Radius Tip

S Low--Kickback Chain, designed with a contoured depth gauge and guard link which deflect kickback force and allow wood to gradually ride into the cutter. Low-- Kickback Chain has met kickback per- formance requirements when tested on a representative sample of chain saws be- low 3.8 cubic inch displacement specified in ANSI B175.1.

Contoured Depth Gauge

	Elongated Guard Link
	Deflects
Low--- Kickback	kickback force
	and allows wood
Chain
	to gradually ride
	into cutter
	Can Obstruct Material

Not a Low--- Kickback Chain

SFront Hand Guard, designed to reduce the

chance of your left hand contacting the chain if your hand slips off the front handlebar.

SPosition of front and rear handlebars, de- signed with distance between handles and “in-line” with each other. The spread and “in-line” position of the hands provided by this design work together to give balance and resistance in controlling the pivot of the saw back toward the operator if kick- back occurs.

CHAIN BRAKE AND CKA ANGLE

SChain Brake, designed to stop the chain in the event of kickback.

WARNING: WE DO NOT REP- RESENT AND YOU SHOULD NOT AS- SUME THAT THE CHAIN BRAKE WILL PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A KICK- BACK. Kickback is a lightning fast action which throws the bar and rotating chain back and up toward the operator. Kickback can be caused by allowing contact of the bar tip in the danger zone with any hard object. Kickback can also be caused by pinching the saw chain along the top of the guide bar. This action may push the guide bar rapidly back toward the op- erator. Either of these events may cause you to lose control of the saw which could result in serious injury or even death. DO NOT RELY UPON ANY OF THE DEVICES BUILT INTO YOUR SAW. YOU SHOULD USE THE SAW PROPERLY AND CAREFULLY TO AVOID KICKBACK. Reduced--kickback guide bars and low--kickback saw chains reduce the chance and magnitude of kickback and are recommended. Your saw has a low kickback chain and bar as original equipment. Repairs on a chain brake should be made by an autho- rized servicing dealer. Take your unit to the place of purchase if purchased from a servic- ing dealer, or to the nearest authorized master service dealer.

STip contact in some cases may cause a light-

ning fast reverse REACTION, kicking guide bar up and back toward operator.

SPinching the saw chain along the top of the

guide bar may push the guide bar rapidly back toward the operator.

SEither of these reactions may cause you to lose control of the saw which could result in serious injury. Do not rely exclusively upon devices built into your saw.

WARNING: Computed kickback angle (CKA) listed on your saw and listed in the CKA table below represents angle of kickback your bar and chain combinations will have when tested in accordance with CSA (Cana- dian Standards Association) and ANSI stan- dards. When purchasing replacement bar and chain, considerations should be given to the lower CKA values. Lower CKA values repre- sent safer angles to the user, higher values in- dicate more angle and higher kick energies. Computed angles represented indicate total energy and angle associated without activation of the chain brake during kickback. Activated angle represents chain stopping time relative to activation angle of chain break and resulting kick angle of saw. In all cases lower CKA val- ues represent a safer operating environment for the user.

The following guide bar and chain combina- tions meet kickback requirements of CSA Standards Z62.1, Z62.3, & ANSI B175.1 when used on saws listed in this manual. Use of bar and chain combinations other than those listed is not recommended and may not meet the CKA requirements per standard.

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