Poulan Pro 380 Operator's Manual page 4

reaction can r esult inloss ofcontrol and s eri-
ous h _jury.
Avoid P inch=Kickback:
• Be extremely aware ofsituations orob-
structions that can cause material to pinch
the top oforotherwise stop t he chain.
• Do not cut m ore than o ne l og atatime.
• Do not t wist the saw as the bar i swith-
drawn from an undercut when bucking.
Avoid P ull-In:
• Always begin cutth_g with engh_e atfuil
speed and s aw housing against wood.
• Use w edges made of p lastic or w ood. Nev-
eruse metal tohold t he cut open.
Kickback Path
MAINTAIN CONTROL
Stand to the left o_
the saw
Never reverse
hand positions
!
t
Elbow locked
Clear The Working Area
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
• Recognize that kickback can happen.
With a basic understanding of kickback,
you can reduce the etement of surprise
which contributes to accidents.
• Never let the moving chain contact any ob-
ject at the tip of the guide bar.
• Keep the working area free from obstruc-
tions such as other trees, branches, rocks,
fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate or avoid
any obstruction that your saw chain could
hit while you are cutting through a particu-
lar log or branch.
• Keep your saw chain sharp and properly
tensioned. A loose or dull chain can in-
crease the chance of kickback occurring.
Follow manufacturer's chain sharpening
and maintenance instructions. Check ten-
sion at regular intervals with the engine
stopped, never with engine running. Make
sure the bar clamp nuts are securely tight-
ened after tensioning the chain.
• Begin and continue cutting at full speed. If
chain is moving at a slower speed, there is
greater chance of kickback occurring.
• Cut one log at a time.
• Use extreme caution when re-entering a
previous cut.
• Do not attempt cuts starting with the tip of
the bar (plunge cuts).
• Watch for shifting logs or other forces that
could close a cut and pinch or fall into chain.
• Use Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar and Low-
Kickback Chain specified for your saw.
Thumb on underside of
handlebar
• Keep a good, firm grip on the saw with both
hands when the engine is running and
don't let go. A firm grip will help you reduce
kickback and maintain control of the saw.
Keep the fingers of your left hand encir-
cling and your teft thumb under the front
handlebar. Keep your right hand complete-
ly around the rear handle whether your are
right handed or left handed. Keep your left
arm straight with the elbow locked.
• Position your left hand on the front handle-
bar so it is in a straight line with your right
hand on the rear handle when making
bucking cuts. Never reverse right and left
hand positions for any type of cutting.
• Stand with your weight evenly balanced on
both feet.
• Stand slightly to the left side of the saw to
keep your body from being in a direct line
with the cutting chain.
• Do not overreach. You could be drawn or
thrown off balance and lose control of saw.
• Donotcutaboveshoulder height. Itisdiffi-
cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.
KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES
A_, WARNING:
The following features
are included on your saw to help reduce the
hazard of kickback; however, such features
will not totally eliminate this dangerous reac-
tion. As a chain saw user, do not rely only on
safety devices. You must follow ail safety
precautions, instructions, and maintenance
in this manual to help avoid kickback and
other forces which can result in serious
injury.
• Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar, designed
with a smail radius tip which reduces the
size of the kickback danger zone on bar
tip. A Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar has
been demonstrated to significantly reduce