16
Basic safety rules
1. Look around you:
• To ensure that people, animals or other things cannot affect your control of the machine.
• To ensure that people, animals, etc., do not come into contact with the cutting attachment or loose
objects that are thrown out by the cutting attachment.
WARNING:
Do not use the machine unless you are able to call for help in the event of an
accident.
2. Do not use the machine in bad weather, such as dense fog, heavy rain, strong wind, intense cold, etc.
Working in bad weather is tiring and often brings added risks, such as icy ground, etc.
3. Make sure you can move and stand safely. Check the area around you for possible obstacles (roots,
rocks, branches, ditches, etc.) in case you have to move suddenly. Take great care when working on
sloping ground.
4. Switch off the engine before moving to another area.
5. Never put the machine down with the engine running.
• Always use the correct equipment.
• Make sure the equipment is well adjusted.
• Organise your work carefully.
• Always use full throttle when starting to cut with the blade.
• Always use sharp blades.
WARNING
: Neither the operator of the machine nor anyone else may attempt to remove the cut
material while the engine is running or the cutting equipment is rotating, as this can result in serious
injury. Stop the engine and cutting equipment before you remove material that has wound around the
blade as otherwise there is a risk of injury.
The bevel gear can get hot during use and may remain so for a while afterwards. You could get burnt if
you touch it.
WARNING
: Sometimes branches or grass get caught between the guard and cutting attachment.
Always stop the engine before cleaning.
Check before starting
• Check the blade to ensure that no cracks have formed at the bottom of the teeth or by the centre hole.
Discard a blade if cracks are found.
• Check that the support flange is not cracked due to fatigue or due to being tightened too much.
Discard the support flange if it is cracked.
• Ensure the locking nut has not lost its locking force. The tightening torque of the locking nut should be
25 Nm.
• Check that the blade guard is not damaged or cracked. Replace the blade guard if it is cracked.
• Check that the trimmer head and trimmer guard are not damaged or cracked. Replace the trimmer
head or trimmer guard if they are cracked.
WARNING: Never use the machine without a guard or with a defective guard. Never use the machine
without the transmission shaft.
Forestry clearing
• Before you start clearing, check the clearing area, the type of terrain, the slope of the ground, whether
there are stones, hollows etc.
• Start at whichever end of the area is easiest, and clear an open space from which to work.
• Work systematically to and fro across the area, clearing a width of around 4-5 m on each pass. This
exploits the full reach of the machine in both directions and gives the operator a convenient and varied
working area to work in.
• Clear a strip around 75 m long. Move your fuel can as your work progresses.
• On sloping ground you should work along the slope. It is much easier to work along a slope than it is
to work up and down it.
• You should plan the strip so that you avoid going over ditches or other obstacles on the ground. You
should also orient the strip to take advantage of wind conditions, so that cleared stems fall in the
cleared area of the stand.
Grass clearing using a grass blade
• Grass blades and grass cutters must not be used on woody stems.
• A grass blade is used for all types of tall or coarse grass.
• The grass is cut down with a sideways, swinging movement, where
the movement from right-to-left is the clearing stroke and the movement
from left-to-right is the return stroke. Let the left-hand side of the blade
(between 8 and 12 o’clock) do the cutting.
• If the blade is angled to the left when clearing grass, the grass will
