Husqvarna 136, 141, 136LE, 141LE User Manual

Instruction Manual

136LE / 141LE

Read and follow all Safety Rules and Operating
Instructions before using this product. Failureto
do so can result in serious injury.

136 / 141

530163874 6/18/03

IDENTIFICATION (WHAT IS WHAT?)

321

20

19

18

1. Cylinder Cover

2. Front Handle

3. Front Hand Guard

4. Starter Cover

5. Chain Oil Tank

6. Starter Handle

7. Carburetor AdjustingScrew

8. Choke Control

9. Rear Handle

10. ON/OFF Stop Switch

11. Fuel Tank

12. Muffler

1617

8

22

IDENTIFICATION OF SYMBOLS

WARNING!

use can cause serious or even fatal injury.

21

1

7

10

9

11

6

12

1415

This chain saw can be dangerous! Careless or improper

5

4

13

2423

13. Bar Tip Sprocket

14. Saw Chain

15. Saw Bar

16. Chain Catcher

17. Chain Brake Assembly

18. Rear Hand Guard

19. Throttle Control/Trigger

20. Throttle Lock

21. Bar/Chain Adjustment Tool

22. Chain Tensioning Screw

23. Instruction Manual

24. Guide Bar Cover

Read and understand the instruction manual before using the chain saw.

XX_

Measuredmaximumkickbackvalue without chainbrakefor the bar and
chain combination on the label.

Sound pressure level at 15 meters (50 feet)

There may be more symbols found on your unit other than those listed above. These
symbols may represent compliances, standards, or other matters concerning the product.

2

SAFETY RULES

WARNING:

spark plugwire and place wire where it can­notcontact spark plugto prevent accidental
starting when setting up, transporting,ad­justing or making repairs except carburetor
adjustments.
Becausea chain saw is a high-speedwood­cutting tool, special safety precautionsmust
beobserved to reduce the risk of accidents.
Careless or improper use of this tool can
cause serious injury.

PLAN AHEAD

S Readthis manual carefully until you com-

pletely understandand canfollow all safe­ty rules, precautions, and operating in­structions before attempting to use the
unit.

S Restricttheuse of yoursawto adult users

who understand and can follow safety
rules, precautions,and operating instruc­tions found in thismanual.

Hearing

Protection

Snug
Fitting

Clothing

Safety
Shoes

S Wear protective gear. Always use steel-

toed safety footwear with non-slip soles;
snug-fitting clothing; heavy-duty, non-slip
gloves; eye protection such as non-fog­ging, vented goggles or face screen; an
approvedsafetyhardhat;and soundbarri­ers (ear plugs or mufflers) to protect your
hearing. Regular users shouldhavehear­ing checked regularly as chain saw noise
can damage hearing. Secure hair above
shoulder length.

S Keep all parts of your body away from the

chain when the engine is running.

S Keep children, bystanders,andanimals a

minimum of 30 feet (10 meters)awayfrom
the workarea. Do not allow other people
or animalsto be near the chain saw when
starting or operating the chain saw.

S Do not handle or operate a chain saw

whenyouarefatigued,ill,orupset,or if you
have taken alcohol,drugs, or medication.
You must be in good physical condition
and mentally alert. Chain saw work is
strenuous. If you have any condition that
might be aggravated by strenuous work,
check with your doctor before operatinga
chain saw.

Always disconnect

Safety Hat

Eye
Protection

Heavy Duty
Gloves

Safety Chaps

S Carefullyplanyoursawingoperationinad-

vance. Donotstartcuttinguntilyouhavea
clearwork area, secure footing, and, if you
are felling trees,a planned retreat path.

OPERATE YOUR SAW SAFELY

S Donotoperateachainsawwith one hand.

Serious injury to the operator, helpers,by­standers or any combinationof these per­sons may result from one-handed opera­tion. A chain saw is intended for
two-handed use.

S Operatethechainsaw only inawell-venti-

lated outdoorarea.

S Do not operate saw from a ladder or in a

tree.

S Makesurethechain will notmake contact

with any object while starting the engine.
Never try to startthe saw when the guide
bar is in a cut.

S Do not put pressure onthe saw at the end

of the cut. Applying pressure can cause
you to lose control when the cut is com­pleted.

S Stop the engine before setting the saw

down.

S Do not operate a chain saw that is dam-

aged, improperly adjusted, or not com­pletely and securely assembled. Always
replace bar, chain, hand guard, or chain
brakeimmediately ifit becomesdamaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.

S With the engine stopped, hand carry the

chain saw with the muffleraway from your
body, and the guide bar and chain to the
rear,preferably covered with a scabbard.

MAINT AINYOUR SAW IN GOOD
WORKINGORDER

S Haveall chain saw service performedby a

qualified servicedealer with the exception
ofthe items listed inthe maintenancesec­tionofthismanual. Forexample,ifimprop­ertools areusedtoremoveor hold thefly­wheelwhenservicingtheclutch,structural
damage to the flywheel can occur and
cause the flywheel to burst.

S Make certain the saw chain stops moving

when the throttle trigger is released. For
correction, refer to CARBURETOR AD­JUSTMENTS.

S Never modify your saw in any way.
S Keepthehandlesdry,clean,andfreeofoil

or fuel mixture.

S Keep fuel and oil caps, screws, and fas-

teners securely tightened.

S Use only Husqvarna accessories and re-

placement parts as recommended.

HANDLE FUEL WITH CAUTION

S Do not smoke while handling fuel or while

operating the saw.

S Eliminate all sources ofsparks or flame in

the areas where fuel is mixed or poured.
Thereshouldbenosmoking,openflames,
orworkthatcouldcausesparks. Allowen­gine to cool beforerefueling.

S Mix and pour fuel in an outdoor area on

bare ground; store fuel in a cool, dry, well

3

ventilated place; and use an approved,
marked container for all fuel purposes.
Wipe up all fuel spills beforestartingsaw.

S Moveat least 10 feet (3meters) from fuel-

ing site before startingengine.

S 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.

S Storetheunitandfuelinanareawherefuel

vapors cannot reach sparks or open
flames from waterheaters,electric motors
or switches, furnaces, etc.

KICKBACK

WARNING:

can resultin seriousinjury. Kickbackisthe
backward,upwardorsudden forwardmotion
of the guide bar occurring when the saw
chainneartheuppertip of theguidebarcon­tacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pinches the
sawchain in thecut.Contactingaforeignob­ject in the wood can also result in loss of
chain saw control.
S RotationalKickbackcanoccurwhenthe

moving chain contacts an objectattheup­per 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, reversereaction
which kicks the guide bar up and back to­ward the operator.

S 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
sawtomoveintheopposite direction of the
chain rotation. The saw is driven straight
back toward theoperator.

S Pull-Incan occurwhen the moving chain

contactsaforeignobject in thewoodinthe
cut along the bottom of the guide bar and
the saw chain is suddenly stopped. This
suddenstoppingpullsthesawforwardand
away from the operator and could easily
cause the operator to lose control of the
saw.

Avoid Pinch--Kickback:

S Be extremely aware of situations or ob-

structions that can causematerial topinch
the top of or otherwise stop the chain.

S Donot cut morethan one log at a time.
S Do not twist the saw as the bar is with-

drawn from an undercut when bucking.

AvoidPull--In:

S Alwaysbegincutting withtheengineatfull

speedandthe saw housingagainst wood.

S Use wedges made of plastic or wood.

Never use metal to holdthe cut open.

Avoid kickback which

Kickback Path

Avoid Obstructions

Clear The Working Area

REDUCETHE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK

S Recognize that kickback can happen.

With a basic understanding of kickback,
you can reduce the element of surprise
which contributes to accidents.

S Neverletthemovingchaincontactanyob-

ject at the tipof the guide bar.

S Keep the working area free from obstruc-

tionssuchasoth ertrees,branches,rocks,
fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate or avoid
any obstructionthatyour sawchain could
hit while you are cutting. When cutting a
branch, do not let the guide bar contact
branch or other objects around it.

S Keep your saw chain sharp and properly

tensioned. A loose or dull chain can in­crease the chanceof kickback occurring.
Follow manufacturer’s chain sharpening
andmaintenanceinstructions. Check ten­sion at regular intervals with the engine
stopped, never with the engine running.
Makesurethebarclamp nutsaresecurely
tightened after tensioning the chain.

S Beginandcontinue cutting atfull speed. If

the chain is moving at a slower speed,
thereis greaterchanceofkickback occur­ring.

S Cutone log at a time.
S Use extreme caution when re-entering a

previous cut.

S Do not attempt cuts startingwith the tip of

the bar (plunge cuts).

S Watch for shifting logs or other forces that

could close a cut and pinch or fall into
chain.

S Use the Reduced--Kickback Guide Bar

and Low--Kickback Chain specified for
your saw.

MAINTAINCONTROL

Stand to the left of
the saw

Never reverse
hand positions

4

Symmetrical Guide Bar

Elbow locked

Thumb on underside of
handlebar

S Keep a good,firm gripon thesawwithboth

hands when the engine is running and
don’tlet go. Afirmgrip will helpyoureduce
kickback and maintain control of the saw.
Keep the fingers of your left hand encir­cling and your left thumb under the front
handlebar. Keep your right hand com­pletely around the rear handle whether
yourarerighthandedorlefthanded. Keep
your left arm straight with the elbow
locked.

S Positionyourleft hand onthe front handle-

bar so it is in a straight line with your right
hand on the rear handle when making
bucking cuts. Never reverserightandleft
hand positionsfor any type of cutting.

S Stand withyourweightevenly balancedon

both feet.

S Stand slightly to the left side of the saw to

keep your body from being in a direct line
with the cuttingchain.

S Donotoverreach. Youcould be drawnor

thrown off balance and losecontrol of the
saw.

S Donotcut aboveshoulderheight. Itisdiffi-

cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.

KICKBACKSAFETY FEATURES

WARNING:

are included on your saw to helpreduce the
hazard of kickback; however,such features
will not totally eliminate this dangerousreac­tion. As achainsaw user,donotrely onlyon
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 significantlyre­ducethe number and seriousnessof kick­backs when tested in accordance with
safety requirementsfor gasolinepowered
chain saws as set by ANSI B175.1.

Reduced Kickback Symmetrica l Guide Bar

The following features

Small Radius Tip

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 sampleof chain saws
below 3.8 cubic inch displacement speci­fied in ANSI B175.1.

Low---Kickback

Chain

Not a Low ---Kickback Chain

S FrontHandGuard,designedtoreducethe

chance of your left hand contacting the
chainif your handslips offthefronthandle­bar.

S Position of front and rear handlebars, de-

signedwithdistancebetweenhandlesand
“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 kick­back occurs.

CHAIN BRAKE AND CKA ANGLE

S ChainBrake, designed to stop thechainin

the event of kickback.

WARNING:

RESENT AND YOU SHOULD NOT AS­SUME THAT THE CHAIN BRAKE WILL
PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A
KICKBACK. Kickback is a lightning fastac­tion which throws the bar and rotating chain
back and up toward the operator. Kickback
can be caused byallowing contactofthebar
tip in the danger zone with any hard object.
Kickback canalsobecausedbypinchingthe
sawchainalongthetopoftheguidebar. This
action may push the guidebar 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. DONOT RELYUPONANY OF THE
DEVICES BUILT INTO YOUR SAW. YOU
SHOULDUSETHESAW PROPERLYAND
CAREFULLY TO AVOID KICKBACK. Re­duced--kickback guide bars and low--kick­back saw chains reduce the chance and
magnitude of kickback and are recom­mended. Yoursawhasalowkickback chain
andbaras originalequipment. Repairs on a

Contoured Depth Gauge

Large Radius Tip

Elongated Guard Link

Deflects
kickback force
and allows wood
to gradually ride
into cutter

Can Obstruct Material

WE DO NOT REP-

5

chain brake should be made by an autho­rized servicing dealer. Take your unit to the
place of purchase if purchased from a

Husqvarna servicing dealer, or to the near-

est authorized Husqvarna service dealer.
S Tip contact in some cases may cause a

lightning fast reverse REACTION, kicking
theguidebarupandbacktowardtheoper­ator.

S Pinchingthesawchainalongthetopofthe

guide bar may push the guide bar rapidly
back toward theoperator.

S Eitherofthesereactionsmaycauseyouto

lose control of the sawwhich couldresult
in serious injury. Do not rely exclusively
uponthesafety devicesbuiltintoyoursaw.

WARNING:

angle (CKA) listed on your saw and listed in
the CKA table below represents angle of
kickback your bar and chain combinations
will have when tested in accordance with
CSA(CanadianStandardsAssociation) and

Computed kickback

Computedkickback angle (CKA) Table

BAR

MODEL

136

136

141
141 0.050 GA 18

NOTE:

commercial logging, a chain brake is
required and shall not be removed or
otherwise disabled to comply with Federal
OSHARegulationsforCommercialLogging.
Contact your authorized Husqvarnaservice
dealer.

SAFETY NOTICE:

vibrations throughprolongeduseofgasoline
powered hand tools could cause blood
vessel or nerve damage in the fingers,
hands, and joints of people prone to
circulation disordersor abnormal swellings.
Prolonged use in cold weather has been
linked to blood vessel damage in otherwise
healthy people. If symptoms occur such as
numbness, pain, loss of strength, changein
skin color or texture, or loss of feeling in the
fingers,hands, or joints, discontinuetheuse
of this tool and seek medical attention. An
anti-vibrationsystemdoesnotguaranteethe
avoidance of these problems. Users who
operate power tools on a continual and
regular basis must monitor closely their
physical condition and the condition of this
tool.

SPECIALNOTICE:

with a temperaturelimitingmuffler andspark
arresting screen which meets the
requirements of CaliforniaCodes 4442 and

If this saw is to be used for

Type Length CHAIN TYPE

0.050 GA 14!91VG/VJ--- 52

0.050 GA

0.050 GA

Exposure to

Y oursaw isequipped

16

16

!

!

!

ANSI standards.Whenpurchasing replace­ment bar and chain, considerations should
be given to the lower CKA values. Lower
CKA values represent safer angles to the
user,higher values indicate moreangle and
higher kick energies.Computedangles rep­resented in the non-activated column indi­catetotal energy andangle associated with­out activation of the chain brake during
kickback. Activated angle representschain
stopping time relative to activation angle of
chain breakandresulting kick angle of saw.
In all cases lower CKA values representa
safer operating environmentfor the user.
The followingguide bar and chain combina­tions meet kickback requirements of CSA
Standards Z62.1, Z62.3, & ANSI B175.1
when used on saws listed in this manual.
Use of bar and chain combinations other
than those listed is not recommended and
may not meet the CKA requirements per
standard.

CKA WITHOUT

CHAIN BRAKE

25_

_

91VG ---56

91VG ---56

H 3 0 --- 7 2

4443. All U.S. forest land and the states of
California, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New
Jersey, Oregon, and Washington require
many internal combustion engines to be
equipped with a spark arrestor screen by
law. If you operate a chain saw in a state or
locale wheresuch regulations exist, you are
legally responsible for maintaining the
operatingconditionofthese parts. Failureto
do so is a violation of the law. Refer to the
SERVICEANDADJUSTMENTS section for
maintenanceof theSparkArresting Screen.

Failure to follow all Safety Rules and
Precautions can result in serious injury. If
situationsoccurwhicharenotcoveredinthis
manual,usecareandgoodjudgement.Ifyou
need assistance, contact your authorized
service dealer.

STANDARDS

CSA Z62.1 “Chain Saws -- Occupational
Health and Safety”

CSA Z62.3 “Chain Saw Kickback Occupa­tional Health and Safety”

ANSI B175.1--2000 -- “American National
Standard for Powered Tools -- Gasoline
Powered Chain Saw -- Safety Require­ments”

25

25

38_

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6