Poulan 2550T User Manual

R

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1--800--554--6723

www.poulan.com

Instruction Manual

Manual de Instrucciones

Manuel d’Instructions

ENGLISH

2550T

For Occasional Use Only

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 de instrucciones y siga todas las advertencias e en­strucciones de seguridad. El no hacerlo puede resultar en lesiones
graves.

AVERTISSEMENT:

Lire le manuel d’instructions et bien respecter tous les a vertisse­ments et toutes les instructions de sécurité. Tout défaut de le faire
pourrait entraîner des blessures graves.

Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
104 Warren Road
Augusta, GA 30907

Copyright E2003 Electrolux Home Products, Inc.

Electrolux Canada Corporation

6150 McLaughlin Road

Mississauga, Ontario L5R 4C2

530165412--01 7/12/04

ESPAÑOL

FRANÇAIS

IDENTIFICATION OF SYMBOLS

f

WARNING! This chain

saw can be dangerous! Care­less or improper use can cause
serious or even fatal injury.

Always wear appropriate ear protection, eye protection and head protection.

Always use two hands when operating the chain saw.

WARNING! Contacting the guide bar tip with any object

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

XX_

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

SAFETY RULES

WARNING: Always disconnect

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 s aw 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

S Read this manual carefully until you com-

pletely understand and can follow all safety
rules, precautions, and operating instruc ­tions before attempting to use the unit.

S Restrict the use of y our saw to adult users

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

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
approved safety hard hat; and sound barri­ers (ear plugs or mufflers) to protect your
hearing. Regular users should have hear­ing checked regularly as chain saw noise
can damage hearing. Secure hair above
shoulder length.

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

ety Hat

Hearing

Protection

Snug
Fitting

Clothing

Safety
Shoes

S Keep all parts of your body away from the

chain when the engine is running.

S 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.

S 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.

Sa

Eye
Protection

Heavy Duty
Gloves

Safety Chaps

2

S Carefully plan your sawing operation in ad-

vance. 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

S 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.

S Operate the chain saw only in a well-venti-

lated outdoor area.

S Do not operate saw from a ladder or in a

tree.

S 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.

S 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.

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
brake immediately if it becomes damaged,
broken or is otherwise removed.

S 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

S 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.

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 Keep the handles dry, clean, and free of oil

or fuel mixture.

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

teners securely tightened.

S Use only PoulanR 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 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.

S 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.

S Move at least 10 feet (3 meters) from fuel-

ing site before starting engine.

S Turn the engine off and let saw c ool in a

non-combustible area, not on dry leaves,
straw, paper, etc. Slowly remove fuel cap
and refuel unit.

S 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: Avoid kickback which

can result in serious injury. Kickback is the
backward, upward or sudden forward motion
of the guide bar occurring when the saw
chain near the upper tip of the guide bar con­tacts any object such as a log or branch, or
when the wood closes in and pinches the
saw chain in the cut. Contacting a foreign ob­ject in the wood can also result in loss of
chain saw control.
S Rotational Kickback can occur when the

moving chain contacts an object at the up­per 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, reverse reaction
which kicks the guide bar up and back to­ward the operator.

S 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
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. The saw is driven straight
back toward the operator.

S Pull-In can occur when the moving chain

contacts a foreign object in the wood in the
cut along the bottom of the guide bar and the
saw chain is suddenly stopped. This sudden
stopping pulls the saw forward and 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 cause material to pinch
the top of or otherwise stop the chain.

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

drawn from an undercut when bucking.

Avoid Pull --In:

S Always begin cutting with the engine at full

speed and the saw housing against wood.

S Use wedges made of plastic or wood.

Never use metal to hold the cut open.

Kickback Path

3

A

void Obstructions

Clear The Working Area

Elbow locked

REDUCE THE 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 Never let the moving chain contact any ob-

ject at the tip of the guide bar.

S Keep the working area free from obstruc-

tions such as other trees, branches, rocks,
fences, stumps, etc. Eliminate or avoid
any obstruction that your saw chain 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 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.

S Begin and continue cutting at full speed. If

the chain is moving at a slower speed,
there is greater chance of kickback occur­ring.

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

previous cut.

S Do not attempt cuts starting with 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 spec ified for
your saw.

MAINTAIN CONTROL

Stand to the left
of the saw

Thumb on
underside of
handlebar

Never reverse
hand positions

Thumb on underside of
handlebar

S 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.

S Position your left hand on the front handle-

bar 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.

S Stand with your weight evenly balanced on

both feet.

S Stand slightly to the left side of the saw to

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

S Do not overreach. You could be drawn or

thrown off balance and lose control of the
saw.

S Do not cut above shoulder height. It is diffi-

cult to maintain control of saw above
shoulder height.

KICKBACK SAFETY F EATURES

WARNING: The following features

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.
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 significantly re­duce the number and seriousness of k ick­backs 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

4

Symmetrical Guide Bar

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

L o w --- K i c k b a c k

Chain

N o t a L o w --- K i c k b a c k C h a i n

S Front Hand Guard, designed to reduce the

chance of your left hand contac ting the chain
if your hand slips off the front handlebar.

S Position of front and rear handlebars, de-

signed 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.

Contoured D epth Gauge

Large Radius Tip

Elongated Guard Link

Deflects
kickback f orce
and allo ws wood
to gradually ride
Into cutter

Can Obstruct Material

CHAIN BRAKE AND CKA ANGLE

S Chain Brake, designed to stop the chain in

the event of kickback.

WARNING: WE DO NOT REP-

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

Computed kickback angle (CKA) Table

BAR

MODEL

2550T

NOTE: If this saw is to be used for commer-

cial logging, a chain brake is required and shall
not be removed or otherwise disabled to com­ply with Federal OSHA Regulations for Com­mercial Logging.

P/N

952044418 952051338

Length

18″

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
DEVICES BU ILT INTO YOUR SAW. YOU
SHOULD USE THE SAW PROPERLYAND
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.
S Tip contact in some cases may cause a light-

ning fast reverse REACTION, kicking the
guide bar up and back toward the operator.

S Pinching the saw chain along the top of the

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

S 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.

WARNING: Computed kickback

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 brake and resulting kick angle of saw.
In all cases lower CKA values represent a
safer operating environment for the user.
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.

CHAIN P/N

CKA without chain brake

14_

SAFETY NOTICE: Exposure to vibrations

through prolonged use of gasoline powered
hand tools could cause blood vessel or nerve
damage in the fingers, hands, and joints of
people prone to circulation disorders or
abnormal swellings. Prolonged use in cold
weather has been linked to blood vessel

5

damage in otherwise healthy people. If
symptoms occur such as numbness, pain,
loss of strength, change in skin color or texture,
or loss of feeling in the fingers, hands, or joints,
discontinue the use of this tool and seek
medical attention. An anti-vibration system
does not guarantee the 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.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Yoursaw is equipped

with a temperature limiting muffler and spark
arresting screen which meets the
requirements of California Codes 4442 and

4443. All U.S. forest land and the states of
California, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New
Jersey, Oregon, and Washington require by
law that many internal combustion engines
to be equipped with a spark arresting screen.
If y ou operate a chain saw in a state or locale
where such regulations exist, you are legally
responsible for maintaining the operating
condition of these parts. Failure to do so is
a violation of the law. Refer to the SERVICE
section for maintenance of the spark
arresting screen.
Failure to follow all Safety Rules andPrecau­tions can result in serious injury. If situations
occur which are not covered in this manual,
use care and good judgement. If you need
assistance, contact your authorized service
dealer or call 1-800--554-- 6723.

STANDARDS: This saw is listed by Under-

writer’s Laboratories, Inc., and the Canadian
Standards Association in accordance with:
ANSI B175.1-2000 American National
Standard for Powered Tools -- Gasoline
Powered Chain Saw -- Safety Requirements
CSA Z62.1--03 Chain Saws -- Occupational
Health and Safety
CSA Z62.3 --96 Chain Saw Kickback Occu­pational Health and Safety

Location of shipping spacer

Chain Brake

Chain Brake

3. An adjusting pin and screw is used to ad­just the tension of the chain. It is very im­portant when assembling the bar, that the
pin located on the adjusting screw aligns
into a hole in the bar. Turning the screw will
move the adjustment pin up and down the
screw. Locate this adjustment before you
begin mounting the bar onto the saw. See
illustration below.

Adjustment located on Chain Brake

4. Turn the adjusting screw by hand coun­terclockwise until the adjusting pin just
touches the stop. This should allow the
pin to be near the correct position.

5. Slide guide bar behind clutch drum until
guide bar stops against clutch drum
sprocket.

Nuts

Bar Tool

Inside view of
Chain Brake

ASSEMBLY

Protective gloves (not provided) s hould be
worn during assembly.

ATTACHING THE BAR & C HAIN (If not

already attached)

WARNING: If received assembled ,

repeat all steps to ensure your saw is properly
assembled and all fasteners are secure. Al­ways wear gloves when handling the chain.
The chain is sharp and can cut you even when
it is not moving!

1. Loosen and remove the chain brake nuts
and the chain brake from the saw.

2. Remove the plastic shipping spacer (if
present).

6. Carefully remove the chain from the pack ­age. Hold chain with the drive links as
shown.

CUTTERS MUST FACE IN

DIIRECTION OF ROTATION

Mount the Bar

Tip of
Bar

6