• Carefullyplanyoursawingoperationined-
vance.Donotstartcuttinguntilyouhavea
clearworkarea,securefooting,and,ifyou
arefellingtrees,aplannedretreatpath.
OPERATE YOUR SAW SAFELY
• Do notoperate achain saw with one hand.
Serious injury tothe operator, helpers, by-
standers or any combination of these per-
sons may result from one-handed opera-
tion. A chain saw is intended for
two*handed use.
• Operate the chain saw only in a welbventi-
lated outdoor area.
• Do not operate saw from a ladder or in a
tree.
• Make sure the chain will not make contact
with any object while starting the engine.
Never try to start the saw when the guide
bar is in a cut.
• Do not put pressure on the saw at the end
of the cut. Applying pressure can cause
you to lose control when the cut is com-
pleted.
• Stop the engine before setting the saw
down.
•Do not operate a chain saw that is dam*
aged, improperly adjusted, or not com-
pletely and securely assembled. Always
replace bar, chain, hand guard, or chain
brake immediately if it becomes damaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.
• With the engine stopped, hand carry the
chain saw with the muffler away from your
body, and the guide bar and chain to the
rear, preferably covered with ascabbard.
MAINTAIN YOUR SAW IN GOOD
WORKING ORDER
• Have al_chain saw service performed by a
qualified service dealer with the exception
ofthe items listed in the maintenance sec-
tion of this manual. For example, if improp-
er tools are used toremove or hold thefly*
wheel when servicing the clutch, structural
damage to the flywheel can occur and
cause the flywheel to burst.
• Make certain the saw chain stops moving
when the throttle trigtgeeris released. For
correction, refer to CARBURETOR AD_
JUSTMENTS.
• Never modify your saw in any way.
• Keepthehandlesdry, clean, aod freeofoil
or fuel mixture.
• Keep fuel and oil caps, screws, and fas-
teners securely ti_ghtened.
• Use only Poulan® accessories and re-
placement parts as recommended.
HANDLE FUEL WITH CAUTION
• Do not smoke while handling fuel or while
operating the saw.
• Eliminate all sources of sparks or flame in
the areas where fuel is mixed or poured.
There should be nosmoking, open flames,
orworkthafcouid cause sparks. Allow em
gine to cool before refueling.
• Mix and pour fuel in an outdoor area on
bare ground; store fuel in a cool, dry, well
ventilated place; and use an approved,
marked container for all fuel purposes.
Wipe up all fuel spills before starling saw.
• Move at least 10feet (3 meters) from fueb
ing site before starting engine.
• Turn the engine off and let saw cool in a
non-combustible area, not on dry leaves,
straw, paper, etc. Slowly remove fuel cap
and refuel unit.
• Storethe unit andfuelin an areawherefuel
vapors cannot reach sparks or open
flames from water heaters, electric motors
or switches, furnaces, etc.
KICKBACK
_I_WARNING: Avoid kickback which
can result in serious injury. Kickback is the
backward, upward orsudden forward motion
of the guide bar occurring when the saw
chain near theupper tip of theguide barcon-
tacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pinches the
saw chein in thecut. Contacting a foreign o1>
ject in the wood can also result in loss of
chain saw control.
•Rotational Kickback can occur when the
moving chein contacts anobject atthe Ul>
per tip of the guide bar. This contact can
cause the chain to dig into the object,
which stops the chain for an instant. The
result is a lightning fast, reverse reaction
which kicks the guide bar up and back to-
ward the operator.
• Pinch-Kickbackcan occur when the the
wood closes in and pinches the moving
saw chain in the cut along the top of the
guide bar and the saw chain is suddenly
stopped. This sudden stopping of the
chain results in a reversal of the chain
force used to cut wood and causes the
saw tomove intheopposite direction ofthe
chain rotation. The saw is driven straight
back toward the operator.
•Pull-In can occur when the moving chain
contacts a foreign object in thewood in the
cut alongthebottomofthe guidebar andthe
saw chainis sudden{ystopped.This sudden
stopping pulls the saw forward and away
from theoperatorandcouideasily cause the
operator to lose contro_ofthe saw.
Avoid Pinch-Kickback:
• Be extremely aware of situations or o1>
structions thatcan cause material topinch
the top of or otherwise stop the chain.
• Do not cut more than one log at a time.
• Do not twist the saw as the bar is with-
drawn from an undercut when bucking.
Avoid Pull-In:
• Always begin cutting withthe engineatfull
speed and the saw housing against wood.
• Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metat to hold the cut open.
i ;_..% Kickback Path
