Husqvarna 455e Rancher User Manual

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English
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WORKING TECHNIQUES
Tree felling technique
Safe distance
The safe distance between a tree that is to be felled and 
anyone else working nearby is at least 2 1/2 tree lengths. 
Make sure that no-one else is in this ”risk zone” before or 
during felling.
Felling direction
The aim is to fell the tree in a position where you can limb and 
cross-cut the log as easily as possible. You want it to fall in a 
location where you can stand and move about safely.
Once you have decided which way you want the tree to fall 
you must judge which way the tree would fall naturally.
Several factors affect this:
Lean of the tree
Bend
Wind direction
Arrangement of branches
Weight of snow
Obstacles within the reach of the tree: for example, other 
trees, power lines, roads and buildings.
Look for signs of damage and rot in the stem, this makes 
it more probably that the tree will break and start to fall 
before you expect it to. 
You may find you are forced to let the tree fall in its natural 
direction because it is impossible or dangerous to try to make 
it fall in the direction you first intended.
Another very important factor, which does not affect the felling 
direction but does affect your safety, is to make sure the tree 
has no damaged or dead branches that might break off and 
hit you during felling.
The main point to avoid is letting the tree fall onto another tree.  
It is very dangerous to remove a trapped tree and there is high 
accident risk. See instructions under the heading Freeing a 
tree that has fallen badly.
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
Delimb the stem up to shoulder height. It is safer to work from 
the top down and to have the tree between you and the saw.  
Remove any undergrowth from the base of the tree and check 
the area for obstacles (stones, branches, holes, etc.) so that 
you have a clear path of retreat when the tree starts to fall. 
Your path of retreat should be roughly 135 degrees away from 
the intended felling direction.
IMPORTANT! It takes a lot of experience to fell a tree. 
Inexperienced users of chain saws should not fell trees. Do 
not attempt any task beyond your experience level! 
IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing 
protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is 
completed so that sounds and warning signals can be 
heard.
Retreat path
Retreat path
Danger zone
Danger zone
Danger zone
Felling direction