OPERATION Breaking-in the Chain New chains will stretch and must be tightened frequently. Lift the chain out of the bar groove and lubricate the bar groove with additional oil, see Illustration ( E ). Place the chain saw on a piece of cardboard or scrap plywood. Start the chain saw (refer to the Operation-Starting Engine Section) and allow it to run at moder- ate speed for approximately one (1) minute. Stop the engine. Check that the oil pump is working properly. Safe-T-Tip® anti- kickback device and the cardboard should have excess oil from the chain rotation if the oil pump is working properly, see Illustration ( F ). Adjust the chain tension (refer to Operation- Chain Tension Section).
Start the saw again and make a few cuts in a log to heat up the chain. Stop the engine and re-adjust chain again. Repeat this process until the chain retains proper warm tension adjustment as shown in Illustration ( C ) in Operation- Chain Tensioning Section. Do not touch the ground with the chain. Chain Tension WARNING Never touch or adjust the chain while the motor is running. The saw chain is very sharp, always wear protective gloves when performing maintenance to the chain. 1. Stop the engine before setting the chain tension. Make sure the guide bar nuts are loose, turn the chain tensioning screw clockwise to tension the chain. Refer to Assembly-Assem- bling the Bar and Chain Section.
A cold chain is correctly tensioned when there is no slack on the underside of the guide bar, the chain is snug, but it can be turned by hand without binding. 2. Chain must be re-tensioned whenever the flats ( A ) on the drive link tangs hang out of the bar groove. See Illustration ( B ). 3. During normal saw operation, the temperature of the chain will increase. The drive link tangs of a correctly tensioned warm chain will hang approximately .050 (1.25 mm) out of the bar groove. See Illustration ( C ). To help determine the correct warm chain tension, the tip of the combination wrench ( D ) can be used as a guide. E CAUTION Chain tensioned while warm, may be too tight upon cooling.
Check the "cold tension" before next use. B A C F Bucking Spike WARNING Your chain saw is fitted with dual bucking spikes (G). The bucking spikes are very sharp and can cause injury. Be extremely careful when working near the bucking spike. Removal of one of both bucking spikes will violate the saws compliance of SAE J335 and other standards. See Safety-State and Local Requirements. .050 (1.25 mm) .050 (1.25 mm) D G 11 English