Husqvarna 445, 445e, 450e Operator's Manual page 10

• Kickback can be very sudden and violent. Most
kickbacks are minor and do not always activate the
chain brake. If this happens you should hold the chain
saw firmly and not let go.
• The way the chain brake is activated, either manually
or automatically by the inertia release mechanism,
depends on the force of the kickback and the position
of the chain saw in relation to the object that the
kickback zone of the bar strikes.
If you get a violent kickback while the kickback zone of
the bar is farthest away from you the chain brake is
designed to be activated by the inertia in the kickback
direction.
If the kickback is less violent or the kickback zone of the
bar is closer to you the chain brake is designed to be
activated manually by the movement of your left hand.
• In the felling position the left hand is in a position that
makes manual activation of the chain brake
impossible. With this type of grip, that is when the left
hand is placed so that it cannot affect the movement
of the front hand guard, the chain brake can only be
activated by the inertia action.
10 – English
GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Will my hand always activate the chain
brake during a kickback?
No. It takes a certain force to move the hand guard
forward. If your hand only lightly touches the front guard
or slips over it, the force may not be enough to trigger the
chain brake. You should also maintain a firm grip of the
chain saw handles while working. If you do and
experience a kickback, your hand may never leave the
front handle and will not activate the chain brake, or the
chain brake will only activate after the saw has swung
around a considerable distance. In such instances, the
chain brake might not have enough time to stop the saw
chain before it touches you.
There are also certain positions in which your hand cannot
reach the front hand guard to activate the chain brake; for
example, when the saw chain is held in felling position.
Will my inertia activated chain brake
always activate during kickback in the
event of a kickback?
No. First your brake must be in working order. Testing the
brake is simple, see instructions under the heading
Checking, maintaining and servicing chain saw safety
equipment. We recommend you do before you begin each
work session. Second the kickback must be strong
enough to activate the chain brake. If the chain brake is
too sensitive it would activate all the time which would be
a nuisance.
Will my chain brake always protect me
from injury in the event of a kickback?
No. First, the chain brake must be in working order to
provide the intended protection. Second, it must be
activated during the kickback as described above to stop
the saw chain. Third, the chain brake may be activated but
if the bar is too close to you the brake might not have
enough time to slow down and stop the chain before the
chain saw hits you.
Only you and proper working technique can eliminate
kickback and its danger.
Throttle lockout
The throttle lockout is designed to prevent accidental
operation of the throttle control. When you press the lock
(A) (i.e. when you grasp the handle) it releases the throttle
control (B). When you release the handle the throttle
control and the throttle lockout both move back to their
original positions. This arrangement means that the
throttle control is automatically locked at the idle setting.
115 13 81-49 Rev.1 2009-02-13