•Carefully plan yoursawing operation inad-
vance. Do notstartcutting until youhave a
clear work area, secure foefing, and ifyou
are fe ng trees, a planned retreat path.
OPERATE YOUR SAW SAFELY
• Donot operate a chain sawwith one hand.
Serious injuryto the 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 awell-venti-
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, impropedy adjusted, or not com-
pletely and securely assembled. Always
reptace bar, chain, hand guard or chain
brake mmediately ifit becomes damaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.
•With the engine stopped, hand carry the
chain saw withthe muffler away from your
body, and the guide bar and chain to the
rear, preferably covered with a scabbard.
MAINTAIN YOUR SAW IN GOOD
WORKING ORDER
•Have allchain saw service performed by a
qualified service dealer with the exception
of the items listed inthe maintenance sec-
tionofthismanual. Forexample ifimprop-
er too s are used to remove or hold the fly-
wheel whenservicing the clutch, structural
damage to the flywheel can occur and
•cause the flywheel to burst.
Make certain the saw chain stops moving
when the throffie td_leer is released. For
correction, refer to-_ARBURETOR AD-
JUSTMENTS.
•Never modify your saw in any way.
• Keep the handles dry, clean, and free of oil
or fuel mixture.
•Keep fuel and oil caps, screws, and fas-
teners securely tilghtened.
•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 shouldbe no smoking, openflames,
orworkthat couldcause sparks. Allow en-
gline tocool 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 startingsaw.
•Move at least t0 feet (3 meters) from fuel-
ing site before starting engine.
•Turn the engine off and let saw cool in a
non-combustible area, noton dry leaves,
straw, paper, etc. Slowly remove fuel cap
and refuel unit.
•Storethe unitand fuel inan area where fuel
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 sedous injury. Kickback isthe
backward, upwardorsudden forward motion
of the guide bar occurring when the saw
chain near the upper tip of the guide barcon-
tacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pinches the
saw chain inthe cut. Contacting a foreign ob-
ject in the wood can also result in loss of
chain saw control.
•Rotational Kickback can occurwhen the
movingchain contacts an ob ect at the up-
per tip of the gu de bar. Th s contact can
cause the chain to di_ into the object,
which stops the chain for an instant. The
result is a _ightnin_lfast, reverse reaction
which kicks the guide bar up and back to-
ward the operator.
•Pinch-Kickback can 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
cbaJn results in a reversal of the chain
force used to cut wood and causes the
sawto movein the oppositedirection ofthe
chain rotation. The saw is driven straight
back toward the operator.
•Pull-In can occur when the moving chain
contactsa foreignobject in the wood in the
cutalongthe bottom ofthe guide barand the
sawchainis suddenlystopped.This sudden
stopping pulls the saw forward and away
fromthe operatorand couldeasily causethe
operatorto losecontrolof the saw.
Avoid Pinch-Kickback:
•Be extremely aware of situations or ob-
structionsthatcan cause material to pinch
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 par is with-
drawnfrom an undercut when bucking.
Avoid Pull-In:
•Always begin cuffing with the engine ef full
speed and the saw housingagainst wood.
•Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metal to hold the cut open.
Kickback Path
3
