3
SCarefullyplan your sawing operation in ad-
vance. Do not start cutting until you have a
clearwork area, secure footing, and, if you
arefelling trees, a planned retreat path.
OPERATEYOUR SAW SAFELY
SDonot operate a chain saw with one hand.
Seriousinjur y to theoper ator,helpers, by-
standersor any com bination of these per-
sons may result from one-handed opera-
tion. A chain saw is intended for
two-handeduse.
SOperatethe chain saw only i n a well-venti-
latedoutdoor ar ea.
SDo not operate saw from a ladder or in a
tree.
SMakesure the chain will not make contact
with any object while starting the engine.
Never try to start the saw when the guide
baris ina cut.
SDonot put pressure on the saw at the end
of the cut. Applying pressure can cause
you to lose control when the cut is com-
pleted.
SStop the engine before setting the saw
down.
SDo not operate a chain saw that is dam-
aged, improperly adjusted, or not com-
pletely and securely assembled. Always
replace bar, chain, hand guard,or chain
brakeimmediately if it becomes damaged,
brokenor is otherwiseremoved.
SWith the engine stopped, hand carry the
chainsaw wi th the muffler away from your
body, and the guide bar and chain to the
rear,preferably covered wi th a scabbard.
MAINTAIN YOUR SAW IN GOOD
WORKINGORDER
SHaveall chain saw service performed by a
qualifiedserv ice dealer with the ex ception
ofthe items listed i n the maintenance sec-
tionof this manual. For example, if improp-
ertools are used to r emove or hold the fly-
wheelwhen servicing the clutch, structural
damage to the flywheel can occur and
cause the flywheel to burst.
SMake certain the saw chain stops movi ng
when the throttle trigger is released. For
correction, refer to CARBURETOR AD-
JUSTMENTS.
SNever modify your saw in any way.
SKeepthe handles dry, clean, and free of oil
or fuel mixture.
SKeep fuel and oil caps, screws, andfas-
tenerss ecurely tightened.
SUseonly Poulan PRORaccessories and
replacement parts as recommended.
HANDLEFUEL WITH CAUTION
SDo not smoke while handling fuel or whi le
operatingthe s aw.
SEliminate all sources of sparks or flame in
the areas where fuel is mixed orpoured.
Thereshould be no smoking, openfl ames,
orwork that could cause sparks. Al low en-
gineto c ool before refueling.
SMix and pour fuel i n an outdoor area on
baregr ound;store fuel i n a cool, dry, well
ventilated place; and use an approved,
marked container for all fuel purposes.
Wipeup all fuel spills before starting saw.
SMoveat least 10 feet (3 meters) from fuel-
ings ite before starting engine.
STurn the engine off and let saw cool in a
non-combustible area, not on dry leaves,
straw,paper, etc. Slowlyremove fuel cap
andrefuel uni t.
SStoretheuni tand fuel in an area wherefuel
vapors cannot reach sparks or open
flamesfrom water heaters, electric motors
orsw itches, furnaces, etc.
KICKBACK
WARNING: Avoidk ickback which
canresult in ser ious injury. Kickbackis the
backward,upward orsudden forwardmotion
of the guide bar occurring when the saw
chainnear the upper tip of the guide bar con-
tacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pi nches the
sawchain in the cut. Contacting a foreign ob-
ject in the wood can also result in l oss of
chain saw control.
SRotationalKickback canoccur when the
movingchain contac ts anobj ectat the up-
per tip of the guide bar.This contactcan
cause the chain to dig into the object,
which stops the chain for an instant. The
result is a lightning fast, reverse reaction
which kicks the guide bar up and back to-
wardthe oper ator.
SPinch-Kickbackcan occur when the the
wood closes in and pinches the movi ng
saw chain in the cut along the top of the
guide bar and the saw chain is suddenly
stopped. This sudden stopping of the
chain results in a reversal of the chain
force used to cut wood and causes the
sawto move in theopposite direction of the
chain rotation. The saw is driv en straight
back toward the operator.
SPull-In can occur when the moving chain
contacts a foreign object in the wood in the
cutalong the bottom of the guide bar and the
sawchainis suddenlystopped. Thissudden
stopping pulls the saw forward and away
fromthe operator and could easil y cause the
operator to lose control of the saw.
Avoid Pinch--Kickback:
SBe extremely aware of situations or ob-
structionsthat can cause material to pinch
thetop of or otherw ise stop the chain.
SDonot cut more than one log at a tim e.
SDo not twist the saw as the bar is wit h-
drawnfrom an underc utw hen bucking.
AvoidPull--In:
SAlwaysbegi n cutting with the engine at full
speedand the saw housing against wood.
SUse wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metal to hold the cut open.
Kickback Path