ST BC 25 H Manuel D'utilisation page 163

To use the machine proceed as follows:
• always keep the machine connected
to the correctly worn harness when
working (see paragraph 6.1.1);
• when working, the machine must always
be firmly held in both hands, keeping the
power unit on the right of the body and the
cutting unit below the line of the belt.
6.4.1 Work techniques
6.4.1.a Cutting line head
Use ONLY nylon lines. The use of
metal lines, plasticised metal lines and/
or lines that are not suitable for the head
can cause serious injuries and wounds.
Do not use the machine for sweeping,
tilting the cutting line head. The power
of the engine could throw objects
and small stones 15 metres or more,
causing damage or injury to people.
a. Cutting in motion (Scything)
Proceed at a regular pace, with a circular motion
similar to a traditional scythe, without tilting the
cutting line head during the operation (Fig. 15).
First try cutting at the right height in a small
area, so as to then achieve a uniform cutting
height keeping the cutting line head at a
constant distance from the ground.
For heavier cutting it can be useful to tilt the
cutting line head to the left by about 30°.
Do not work in this way if there
is the possibility of causing objects
to be thrown, which could harm
people, animals or cause damage.
b. Precision cutting (Trimming)
Keep the machine slightly tilted so that the
lower part of the cutting line head does not
touch the ground and the cutting line is at the
required point, always keeping the cutting
means at a distance from the operator.
c. Cutting near fences/foundations
Move the cutting line head slowly
towards fences, posts, rocks, walls, etc.
without hitting them hard (Fig. 16).
If the line strikes a solid object it could
break or become worn; if it gets tangled
in a fence it could break suddenly.
In any case, cutting around pavements,
foundations, walls, etc. can cause
greater wear than normal to the line.
d. Cutting around trees
Walk round the tree from left to right, approaching
the trunks slowly so as not to strike the tree
with the line and keeping the cutting line
head tilted forward slightly (Fig. 17).
Remember that the nylon line could lop off or
damage small shrubs and that the impact of the
nylon line against the trunk of bushes or trees
with soft bark could seriously damage the plant.
6.4.1.b 3-point blade
Start cutting above the undergrowth and then
move down with the scything blade so as to
cut the brush into small pieces (Fig. 18).
6.4.1.c Saw blade (if permitted)
When using the saw blade, where
permitted, the specific guard must
always be fitted (chap. 4.4.2). The
blade must always be well sharpened
to reduce the risk of kickback.
When felling small trees, estimate the
direction in which the cut tree will fall, also
taking the wind direction into consideration.
To get a good result when felling small
trees, the cut must be made with a rapid
movement towards the branch or trunk to
be cut, with the engine at maximum revs.
Do not use the right-hand area of the
blade because there is a high risk of
kickback or the blade seizing up, due
to the direction of rotation (Fig. 19).
6.4.2 Adjusting the length of the
cutting line head during work
This machine is fitted with a semi-
automatic line release head.
Head line length should be adjusted:
– when the line is consumed
and becomes shorter;
– when engine rotation seems
higher than normal;
– when cutting efficiency seems reduced.
To release new line:
• hit the cutting line head against the
ground (Fig. 20) with the throttle
trigger lever pressed fully down;
• the line is automatically released and the line
cutting knife (Fig. 26.A) cuts the excess length.
EN - 11