Stihl TS 440 Instruction Manual page 17

sparks will be directed toward the
operator, or if sparks or debris would be
directed into flammable surroundings.
WARNING
If you experience kickback of sufficient
magnitude to activate the Quickstop,
please review the operating instructions
and safety precautions in this chapter
before resuming work. Kickback
situations can and always should be
avoided. Pinching or binding of the
wheel can be prevented by proper
support of the workpiece (see below),
proper working technique (e.g., not side
loading the wheel and standing outside
the plane of the wheel), and by the use
of properly designed, manufactured and
maintained abrasive cutting wheels that
do not wobble and that do not have
friction-generating abrasive material on
their sides.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury from reactive
forces, shattered wheels, thrown
segments, sparks and cutting debris, the
guard should be pushed fully forward 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) whenever a more
"open" guard position is not needed to
make a cut. Make this adjustment
sooner if it is necessary to protect the
operator and surroundings from thrown
debris generated during cutting.
The guard always should be positioned
to cover as much of the top of the wheel
as possible consistent with the type of
TS 440
cut being made and the proper direction
and containment of sparks and other
debris. The recommended guard
position is fully forward to the front stop
position whenever possible.
WARNING
Check the wheel brake system before
starting work as described in the chapter
"Starting/Stopping the Engine" in this
instruction manual. Do not work with the
TS 440 if the wheel brake system is not
functioning properly. Have the wheel
brake system repaired by an authorized
servicing dealer before using the
machine.
WARNING
The wheel brake should be engaged
when starting your machine. If the
abrasive cutting wheel turns at startup
without the brake first being disengaged,
do not use the cut-off machine and have
the wheel brake system repaired by an
authorized servicing dealer before using
it.
Reactive Forces Including Kickback
WARNING
Reactive forces may
occur at any time the cut-
ting wheel on a cut-off
machine is rotating.
The powerful forces used to cut through
a workpiece can be reversed and work
against the operator. If the wheel is
slowed or stopped sufficiently by
frictional contact with any solid object or
by a pinch or binding, reactive forces
can occur instantly and may result in the
operator losing control of the cut-off
machine, which, in turn, may result in
serious or fatal injury. An understanding
of the causes of these reactive forces
will help you avoid them and loss of
control.
Reactive forces are exerted in a
direction opposite to the direction in
which the wheel is moving at the point of
contact or of the pinching/binding. If the
wheel is slowed by frictional contact with
a solid object, the resulting reactive
forces are normally moderate and
readily controllable by an operator who
is holding the machine properly. If,
however, the wheel is abruptly slowed or
stopped by a severe pinch or bind, the
reactive forces may be substantially
greater. The greater the force
generated, the more difficult it will be for
the operator to control the cut-off
machine. Loss of control can result in
severe personal injury or death.
Pull-away, Climbing, Pinching and
Rotational Kickback Forces
The most common reactive forces are
pull-away and climbing. If the contact is
at the bottom of the wheel, a cut-off
machine will try to pull away from the
operator (pull-away). If the contact is at
the front of the wheel, the wheel may
attempt to climb the object being cut
English
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