Stihl TS 440 Instruction Manual page 16

English
Insert the wheel into the material only as
deep as necessary to make the cut. To
reduce the amount of dust created, do
not cut all the way through stone,
concrete and similar materials – leave a
thin layer of material uncut. This layer
can be easily broken afterwards using a
hammer or other appropriate tool.
Always wear properly rated eye
protection when breaking any uncut
piece or layer. Do not cock, jam or
wedge the wheel in the cut, as this may
result in reactive forces or a damaged or
broken wheel and the possibility of
severe or fatal personal injury.
Release the pressure on the cut-off
machine as you reach the end of the cut.
Too much pressure may cause the
operator to lose control of the cut-off
machine when the abrasive cutting
wheel completes the cut. The abrasive
cutting wheel may contact the operator
or strike some foreign object and break
or shatter.
Always shut off the engine and be sure
the wheel has stopped rotating before
setting the cut-off machine down.
WARNING
When the engine is shut off, the wheel
brake will engage within a few seconds.
If the cut-off machine is on the ground, it
may tip forward when the wheel brake
engages. The abrasive cutting wheel
can touch the ground and may shatter,
break or sustain damage. It also may
cause damage to the surface it contacts.
14
STIHL Quickstop Wheel Brake System
The STIHL Quickstop wheel brake
system is designed to stop the rotation
of the cutting wheel during kickback if
the kickback energy is sufficiently high.
WARNING
The Quickstop does not prevent
kickback. It is designed to reduce the
risk of kickback injury, if activated, when
the guard on the TS 440 has been
"opened," exposing the top of the cutting
wheel. In order for the Quickstop to
reduce the risk of kickback injury, it must
be properly maintained and in good
working order. An improperly
maintained wheel brake may increase
the time needed to stop the abrasive
cutting wheel after activation, or it may
not activate at all. See the chapter
entitled "Wheel Brake System" in this
instruction manual.
WARNING
The brake is intended to substitute for
the wheel guard when the guard has
been "opened," i.e., pulled back toward
the operator, exposing the top of the
wheel, by stopping the rotation of the
wheel if kickback occurs and kickback
energies are sufficiently high. Like all
safety devices, the brake cannot protect
the operator in all circumstances. There
must be enough distance between the
top of the wheel and the operator to
ensure that the Quickstop has sufficient
time to activate and stop the abrasive
cutting wheel before potential contact
with the operator. Always stand outside
of the plane of the cutting wheel when
using a cut-off machine, including the
TS 440, and do not crouch over the
wheel.
Always maintain at least a 45° angle
between the top of the wheel and the
operator's head, neck and body to
reduce the risk of severe personal injury
or death in the event of a kickback,
particulary when the guard has been
opened to expose the top of the wheel.
WARNING
The primary device intended to reduce
the risk of injury from kickback on the
TS 440 is the wheel guard. The wheel
guard also reduces the risk of injury from
shattered wheels, thrown segments,
sparks and cutting debris. The brake is
intended to substitute for the wheel
guard in kickback situations when the
guard has been "opened," exposing the
top of the wheel. The TS 440 should be
used with the guard in this position only
when necessary to make a cut as, for
example, when accessing the underside
of a pipe in a trench. The guard should
be returned to the forward stop position
(covering the top of the wheel down to
the point on the cutting wheel roughly
midway between 9:00 and 12:00 when
viewing the wheel from the fan wheel
housing side of the machine) as soon as
the cut requiring a more open guard
position has been completed. Make this
adjustment sooner if it is necessary to
protect the operator from thrown debris
generated during cutting.
The guard should not be opened to
expose the top portion of the wheel if
doing so means that cutting debris or
TS 440