Kickback Safety Features - Husqvarna 142 Instruction Manual

Thumb on underside of
handlebar
S 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
locked.
S 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.
S Stand with your weight evenly balanced on
both feet.
S Stand slightly to the left side of the saw to
keep your body from being in a direct line
with the cutting chain.
S Do not overreach. You could be drawn or
thrown off balance and lose control of the
saw.
S Do not cut above shoulder height. It is diffi-
cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.

KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES

WARNING:
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 all safety
precautions, instructions, and maintenance
in this manual to help avoid kickback and
other forces which can result in serious
injury.
S 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
Elbow locked
The following features
Small Radius Tip
Symmetrical Guide Bar
S Low- -Kickback Chain, designed with a
contoured depth gauge and guard link
which deflect kickback force and allow
wood to gradually ride into the cutter.
Low- -Kickback Chain has met kickback
performance requirements when tested
on a representative sample of chain saws
below 3.8 cubic inch displacement speci-
fied in ANSI B175.1.
Contoured Depth Gauge
Low--- Kickback
Chain
Not a Low--- Kickback Chain
S Front Hand Guard, designed to reduce the
chance of your left hand contacting the chain
if your hand slips off the front handlebar.
S Position of front and rear handlebars, de-
signed with distance between handles and
"in-line" with each other. The spread and
"in-line" position of the hands provided by
this design work together to give balance
and resistance in controlling the pivot of
the saw back toward the operator if kick-
back occurs.
CHAIN BRAKE AND CKA ANGLE
S Chain Brake, designed to stop the chain in
the event of kickback.
WARNING:
RESENT AND YOU SHOULD NOT AS-
SUME THAT THE CHAIN BRAKE WILL
PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A
KICKBACK. Kickback is a lightning fast ac-
tion which throws the bar and rotating chain
back and up toward the operator. Kickback
can be caused by allowing contact of the bar
tip in the danger zone with any hard object.
Kickback can also be caused by pinching the
saw chain along the top of the guide bar. This
action may push the guide bar rapidly back
toward the operator. Either of these events
may cause you to lose control of the saw
which could result in serious injury or even
death. DO NOT RELY UPON ANY OF THE
DEVICES BUILT INTO YOUR SAW. YOU
SHOULD USE THE SAW PROPERLY AND
CAREFULLY TO AVOID KICKBACK. Re-
duced- -kickback guide bars and low- -kick-
back saw chains reduce the chance and
magnitude of kickback and are recom-
mended. Your saw has a low kickback chain
and bar as original equipment. Repairs on a
chain brake should be made by an autho-
5
Large Radius Tip
Elongated Guard Link
Deflects
kickback force
and allows wood
to gradually ride
into cutter
Can Obstruct Material
WE DO NOT REP-