Poulan 3450 User Manual

Please do not return unit to retailer.
Por favor, no devuelva el aparato al lugar de compra.
Veuillez ne pas retourner l’outil au détaillant.

1-800-554-6723

www.poulan.com

Operator’s Manual

Manual del Operador

ENGLISH

Manuel de L’utilisateur

3450
3750

U

L

R

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.

ESPAÑOL

Frigidaire Home Products, Augusta, GA 30907

WCI Outdoor Products, Inc.

530087292 12

/07/99

SAFETY RULES

WARNING:

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

S

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

S

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

Hearing

Protection

Snug
Fitting

Clothing

S

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 hear­ing 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, 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.

Always disconnect spark

Safety Hat

Safety
Shoes

Safety Chaps

Eye
Protection

Heavy Duty
Gloves

S

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

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 one­handed operation. A chain saw is in­tended for two-handed use.

S

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

S

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

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

Be alert for springback when cutting a
limb that is under tension so you will not
be struck by the limb or saw when the ten­sion in the wood fibers is released.

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. Use
only attachments supplied or specifically
recommended by the manufacturer.

S

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

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.

S

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

S

Use only Poulan or Poulan Pro accesso­ries and replacement 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

2

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 fuel­ing site before starting engine.

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

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:

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.

against kickback
Rotational Kickback

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 b y 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. Pull­In pulls the saw away from the operator. Ei­ther reaction can result in loss of control and
serious injury.

Avoid Pinch--- Kickback:

S

Be extremely aware of situations or ob­structions 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 with­drawn from an undercut when bucking.

A v o i d P u l l --- I n :

S

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

S

Use wedges made of plastic or wood.
Neverusemetaltoholdthecutopen.

Kickback Path

Kickback can occur when

Guard

is the rapid upward

Clear the work area; avoid obstructions.

REDUCETHECHANCEOF
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
object at the tip of the guide bar.

S

Keep the working area free from obstruc­tions such as 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.

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 engine running.
Make sure the bar clamp nuts are secure­ly tightened after tensioning the chain.

S

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

S

Cutonelogatatime.

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

MAINTAIN CONTROL

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.

Elbow locked

Thumb on underside of
handlebar

3

S

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.

Stand to the left of
the saw

Never reverse
hand positions

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 saw.

S

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

KICKBACK SAFETY FEATURES
WARNING:

included on your saw to help reduce the
hazard of kickback; however, such features
will not totally eliminate this dangerous reac­tion. 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 bar
tip. A Reduced-Kickback Guide Bar 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

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

The following features are

Small Radius Tip

Large Radius Tip

below 3.8 cubic inch displacement speci­fied in ANSI B175.1.

Contoured Depth Gauge

Elongated Guard Link

Deflects Kickback
Force And Allows

Low--Kickback

Chain

Chain With High Kickback Potential

S

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

S

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.

ANSI B175.1-1991

Standard for Powered Tools --- Gasoline
Powered Chain Saw --- Safety Require­ments.”

NOTE

mercial logging, you must order and
install a chain brake to comply with Feder­al OSHA Regulations for Commercial Log­ging. Contact your Authorized Service
Dealer or call 1-800-554-6723.

If this saw is to be used for com-

:

SAFETY NOTICE:

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 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:

equipped with a temperature limiting
muffler and spark arresting screen which
meets the requirements of California Codes
4442 and 4443. All
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 where such

Wood T o Gradually
Ride Into Cutter

Can Obstruct
Material

“Am e r i c a n N at i o n a l

Exposure to

Your s a w is

forest land and the

U.S.

4