Poulan 260, 230 User Manual

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Operator’s Manual

Manual del Operador

Manuel de L’utilisateur

230 / 260

ENGLISH

ESPAÑOL

WARNING:

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

ADVERTENCIA:

Lea el manual del operador y siga todas las advertencias e enstruc­ciones de seguridad. El no hacerlo puede resultar en lesiones
graves.

AVERTISSEMENT:

tous les avertissements et toutes les instructions de sécurité. Tout
défaut de le faire pourrait entraîner des blessures graves.

Electrolux Home Products, Augusta, GA 30907

WCI Outdoor Products, Inc.

Lire le manuel de l’utilisateur et bien respecter

530087723 8/4/00

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FRANÇAIS

IDENTIFICATION OF SYMBOLS

WARNING!

use can cause serious or even fatal injury.

Read and understand the Operator’s Manual before using the chain saw.

XX_

Measured maximum kickback value, without chain brake,
for the bar and chain combination on the label.

This chain saw can be dangerous! Careless or improper

Always use two hands when operating the chain saw.

WARNING!

should be avoided; tip contact may cause the guide bar to
move suddenly upward and backward, which may cause se­rious injury.

Contacting the guide bar tip with any object

SAFETY RULES

WARNING:

spark plug wire and place wire where it can­not contact spark plug to prevent accidental
starting when setting up, transporting, ad­justing or making repairs except carburetor
adjustments.

Because a chain saw is a high-speed wood­cutting tool, special safety precautions must
be observed to reduce the risk of accidents.
Careless or improper use of this tool can
cause serious injury.

PLAN AHEAD

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Read this manual carefully until you com­pletely understand and can follow all safe­ty rules, precautions, and operating in­structions before attempting to use the
unit.

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Restrict the use of your saw to adult users
who understand and can follow safety
rules, precautions, and operating instruc­tions found in this manual.

Always disconnect

Hearing

Protection

Snug
Fitting

Clothing

Safety
Shoes

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Wear protective gear. Always use steel­toed 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
approved safety hard hat; and sound barri­ers (ear plugs or mufflers) to protect your
hearing. Regular users should have hear-

Safety Hat

Eye
Protection

Heavy Duty
Gloves

Safety Chaps

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ing checked regularly as chain saw noise
can damage hearing. Secure hair above
shoulder length.

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Keep all parts of your body away from the
chain when the engine is running.

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Keep children, bystanders, and animals a
minimum of 30 feet (10 meters) away from
the work area. Do not allow other people
or animals to be near the chain saw when
starting or operating the chain saw.

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Do not handle or operate a chain saw
when you are fatigued, ill, or upset, 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 operating a
chain saw.

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Carefully plan your sawing operation in ad­vance. Do not start cutting until you have a
clear work area, secure footing, and, if you
are felling trees, a planned retreat path.

OPERATE YOUR SAW SAFELY

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Do not operate a chain saw with one hand.
Serious injury to the operator, helpers, by­standers or any combination of these per­sons may result from one-handed opera­tion. A chain saw is intended for
two-handed use.

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Operate the chain saw only in a well-venti­lated outdoor area.

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Do not operate saw from a ladder or in a
tree, unless you are specifically trained to
do so.

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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.

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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 com­pleted.

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Stop the engine before setting the saw
down.

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Do not operate a chain saw that is dam­aged, improperly adjusted, or not com­pletely and securely assembled. Always
replace bar, chain, hand guard, or chain
brake immediately if it becomes damaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.

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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 a scabbard.

MAINTAIN YOUR SAW IN GOOD
WORKING ORDER

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Have all chain saw service performed by a
qualified service dealer with the exception
of the items listed in the maintenance sec­tion of this manual. For example, if improp­er tools are used to remove or hold the fly­wheel when servicing the clutch, structural
damage to the flywheel can occur and
cause the flywheel to burst.

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Make certain the saw chain stops moving
when the throttle trigger is released. For
correction, refer to CARBURETOR AD­JUSTMENTS.

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Never modify your saw in any way.

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Keep the handles dry, clean, and free of oil
or fuel mixture.

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Keep fuel and oil caps, screws, and fas­teners securely tightened.

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Use only Poulan or Poulan Pro accesso­ries and replacement parts as recom­mended.

HANDLE FUEL WITH CAUTION

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Do not smoke while handling fuel or while
operating the saw.

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Eliminate all sources of sparks or flame in
the areas where fuel is mixed or poured.
There should be no smoking, open flames,
or work that could cause sparks. Allow en­gine to cool before refueling.

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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 starting saw.

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Move at least 10 feet (3 meters) from fuel­ing site before starting engine.

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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.

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Store the unit and fuel in an area where fuel
vapors cannot reach sparks or open
flames from water heaters, electric motors
or switches, furnaces, etc.

KICKBACK

WARNING:

when the moving chain contacts an object at
the upper portion of the tip of the guide bar or
when the wood closes in and pinches the
saw chain in the cut. Contact at the upper
portion of the tip of the guide bar 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 toward the operator. If
the saw chain is pinched along the top of the
guide bar, the guide bar can be driven rapidly
back toward the operator. Either of these
reactions can cause loss of saw control
which can result in serious injury. Guard

against kickback.
Rotational Kickback is the rapid upward

and backward motion of the chain saw that
can occur when the moving saw chain near
the upper portion of the tip of the guide bar
contacts an object such as a log or a branch.
Pinch-Kickback and Pull-In occur when
the chain is suddenly stopped by being
pinched, caught, or by contacting a foreign
object in the wood. This sudden stopping of
the chain results in a reversal of the chain
force used to cut wood and causes the saw
to move in the opposite direction of the chain
rotation. Pinch-Kickback drives the saw
straight back toward the operator.

Pull-In pulls the saw away from the operator.
Either reaction can result in loss of control
and serious injury.

Kickback can occur

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Avoid Pinch--Kickback:

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Be extremely aware of situations or ob­structions that can cause material to pinch
the top of or otherwise stop the chain.

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Do not cut more than one log at a time.

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Do not twist the saw as the bar is with­drawn from an undercut when bucking.

Avoid Pull--In:

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Always begin cutting with the engine at full
speed and the saw housing against wood.

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Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Never use metal to hold the cut open.

Kickback Path

Avoid Obstructions

Clear The Working Area

REDUCE THE CHANCE OF
KICKBACK

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

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Never let the moving chain contact any ob­ject at the tip of the guide bar.

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Keep the working area free from obstruc­tions suchas other trees, branches, rocks,
fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate or avoid
any obstruction that your saw chain could
hit while you are cutting through a particu­lar log or branch.

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Keep your saw chain sharp and properly
tensioned. A loose or dull chain can in­crease the chance of kickback occurring.
Follow manufacturer ’s chain sharpening
and maintenance instructions. Check ten­sion at regular intervals with the engine
stopped, never with the engine running.
Make sure the chain brake nuts are se­curely tightened after tensioning the chain.

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Begin and continue cutting at full speed. If
the chain is moving at a slower speed,
there is greater chance of kickback occur­ring.

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Cut one log at a time.

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Use extreme caution when re-entering a
previous cut.

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Do not attempt cuts starting with the tip of
the bar (plunge cuts).

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Watch for shifting logs or other forces that
could close a cut and pinch or fall into
chain.

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Use the Reduced--Kickback Guide Bar
and Low--Kickback Chain specified for
your saw.

MAINTAIN CONTROL

Stand to the left of
the saw

Never reverse
hand positions

Elbow locked

Thumb on underside of
handlebar

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Keep a good, firm grip on the saw with both
hands when the engine is running and
don’t let go. A firm grip will help you reduce
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
your are right handed or left handed. Keep
your left arm straight with the elbow
locked.

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Position your left hand on the front handle­bar so it is in a straight line with your right
hand on the rear handle when making
bucking cuts. Never reverse right and left
hand positions for any type of cutting.

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Stand with your weight evenly balanced on
both feet.

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Stand slightly to the left side of the saw to
keep your body from being in a direct line
with the cutting chain.

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Do not overreach. You could be drawn or
thrown off balance and lose control of the
saw.

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Do not cut above shoulder height. It is diffi­cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.

KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES

WARNING:

are included on your saw to help reduce the
hazard of kickback; however, such features
will not totally eliminate this danger. As a
chain saw user, do not rely only on 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.

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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

The following features

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has been demonstrated to significantly re­duce the number and seriousness of kick­backs when tested in accordance with
safety requirements for gasoline powered
chain saws as set by ANSI B175.1.

Reduced Kickback Symmetrical Guide Bar

Small Radius Tip

Symmetrical Guide Bar

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

Low---Kickback

Chain

Not a Low--- Kickback Chain

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Front Hand Guard, designed to reduce the
chance of your left hand contacting the
chain if your hand slips off the front handle­bar.

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Position of front and rear handlebars, de­signed with distance between handles and
“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.

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Chain Brake, designed to stop the chain in

the event of kickback.
ANSI B175.1-1991 “American National
Standard for Powered Tools -- Gasoline
Powered Chain Saw -- Safety Require-

Contoured Depth Gauge

Large Radius Tip

Elongated Guard Link

Deflects
Kickback Force
And Allows Wood
To Gradually
Ride Into Cutter

Can Obstruct Material

ments.”

CHAIN BRAKE AND CKA ANGLE

WARNING:

RESENT AND YOU SHOULD NOT AS­SUME THAT THE CHAIN BRAKE WILL
PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A
KICKBACK. Kickback is a lightning fast ac-

WE DO NOT REP-

tion which throws the bar and rotating chain
back and up toward the operator. Kickback
can be caused by allowing contact of the bar
tip in the danger zone with any hard object.
Kickback can also be caused by pinching the
saw chain along the top of the guide bar. This
action may push the guide bar 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. DO NOT RELY UPON ANY OF THE
SAFETY DEVICES BUILT INTO YOUR
SAW. YOU SHOULD USE THE SAW
PROPERLY AND CAREFULLY TO AVOID
KICKBACK. Reduced--kickback guide bars
and low-- kickback saw chains reduce the
chance and magnitude of kickback and are
recommended. Your saw has a low kick­back chain and bar as original equipment.
Repairs on a chain brake should be made by
an authorized servicing dealer. Take your
unit to the place of purchase if purchased
from a servicing dealer, or to the nearest au­thorized master service dealer.

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 and ANSI standards. When purchasing
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 more angle
and higher kick energies. Computed angles
represented in the non-activated column in­dicate total energy and angle associated
without activation of the chain brake during
kickback. Activated angle represents chain
stopping time relative to activation angle of
chain break and resulting kick angle of saw.
In all cases lower CKA values represent a

Computed kickback

safer operating environment for the user.

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Tip contact in some cases may cause a
lightning fast reverse REACTION, kicking
the guide bar up and back toward the oper­ator.

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Pinching the saw chain along the top of the
guide bar may push the guide bar rapidly
back toward the operator.

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Either of these reactions may cause you to
lose control of the saw which could result
in serious injury.Do not rely exclusively

upon the safety devices built into your saw.
The following guide bar and chain combina­tions meet kickback requirements of CSA
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.

CSA Z62.1 “Chain Saws -- Occupational
Health and Safety”
CSA Z62.3 “Chain Saw Kickback Occupa­tional Health and Safety”

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