Maintain Control; Kickback Safety Features - Poulan Pro 2250 Instruction Manual

'_t Avoid Obstructions
Clear The Working Area
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK
• Recognize that kickback can happen.
With a basic understanding of kickback,
you can reduce the element 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. When cutting a
branch, do not let the guide bar contact
branch or other objects around it.
• 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 the engine running.
Make sure the chain brake nuts are se-
curely tightened after tensioning the chain.
• Begin and continue cutting at full speed. If
the chain is moving at a slower speed,
there is greater chance of kickback occur-
ring.
• 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 the Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar
and Low-Kickback Chain specified for
your saw.
MAINTAIN CONTROL
Stand to the left
of the saw m_f._ a
Thumb on
underside of
handlebar
Never reverse \
hand positions
Elbow locked
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 left thumb under the front
handlebar. Keep your right hand com-
pletely around the rear handle whether
your are right handed or left handed. Keep
your left arm straight with the elbow
looked.
• 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 yoor 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 the
saw.
• DOnot cut above shoulder height. It is diffi-
cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.
KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES
i_ 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.
• Reduced-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
4