GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
10 – English
reduces the risk of your left hand hitting the chain if
you lose grip of the front handle.
•
The chain brake must be engaged when the chain
saw is started to prevent the saw chain from rotating.
•
Use the chain brake as a ”parking brake” when
starting and when moving over short distances, to
reduce the risk of moving chain accidentally hitting
your leg or anyone or anything close by.
•
To release the chain brake pull the front hand guard
backwards, towards the front handle.
•
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.
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.
