Stihl MSA 161 T Notice D'emploi page 13

6 Kickback and Other Reactive Forces
1. STIHL Quickstop Chain Brake
There are two mechanisms for activating the
chain brake if it is in a properly maintained condi‐
tion:
– Manual Activation: If a kickback occurs, the
chain saw moves upwards toward the user in
a rotating motion around the front handle. The
brake is designed to engage if the left hand
contacts the front hand guard, which is the
activation lever for the brake, and pushes it
forward.
– Inertia Activation: All STIHL chain saws are
equipped with an inertia Quickstop chain
brake. If the kickback impulse is strong
enough, this alone is sufficient to engage the
brake, even without the operator's hand con‐
tacting the front hand guard.
WARNING
■ To reduce the risk of kickback injury:
► Never use a saw if the chain brake does not
function properly.
► When in doubt, take the saw to an author‐
ized STIHL servicing dealer for inspection
and/or repair.
► Do not use the saw until the problem has
been corrected.
■ In a kickback situation, the front hand guard
helps protect your left hand from contacting
the chain. Removal of the front hand guard on
a chain saw equipped with a Quickstop chain
brake will reduce this protection and also disa‐
ble the chain brake, increasing the risk of kick‐
back injury.
► Never operate your saw without a properly
functioning front hand guard. If the front
hand guard is missing, manual activation
and inertia activation of the chain brake will
be completely disabled.
► Never attempt to remove, modify or disable
the front hand guard or any other compo‐
nent of the chain brake.
■ No Quickstop or other chain brake device pre‐
vents kickback. These devices are designed to
reduce the risk of injury, if activated, in certain
0458-791-8221-D
kickback situations. To reduce the risk of
severe personal injury or death from kickback:
► Always follow the instructions in this manual
and follow good working technique. For
example, position your body clear of the
cutting attachment whenever the motor is
running. Stand to the left of the cut while
bucking, outside of the cutting plane. See
chapter Holding and Controlling the Chain
Saw, 5.5.2.
► Maintain as much distance as possible, and
never less than 25 degrees, between the
bar and your body to ensure that the Quick‐
stop has sufficient time to activate and stop
the chain before reaching any part of your
body.
► Follow the other precautions provided in
chapter 7.
■ An improperly maintained chain brake may
increase the time needed to stop the chain
after activation, or may not activate at all. For
the Quickstop to reduce the risk of kickback
injury, it must be properly maintained and in
good working order.
► Read and follow the instructions on engag‐
ing and disengaging the chain brake,
and maintaining and repairing it,
2. Low Kickback Saw Chain and Reduced Kick‐
back Bars
STIHL offers a variety of guide bars and chains.
STIHL reduced kickback bars and low kickback
chains are designed to reduce the risk of kick‐
back injury. Other chains are designed to ach‐
ieve higher cutting performance or sharpening
ease, but are more prone to kickback and may
kick back with more energy, making it more diffi‐
cult to control the chain saw.
STIHL has developed a color code system to
help you identify the STIHL reduced kickback
bars and low kickback chains.
– Cutting attachments with green labels on the
packaging are designed to reduce the risk of
kickback injury.
– Matching green-marked or labeled chain saws
with green-labeled bars and green-labeled
chains provides compliance with the computed
kickback angle requirements of the chain saw
standards when the products are in their origi‐
nal condition.
– Products with yellow labels are for users with
extraordinary cutting needs, who have experi‐
ence and specialized training for dealing with
kickback.
English
16,
16.3.
13