Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product BRUSHCUTTER Echo
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GRASS/WEED TRIMMER BRUSHCUTTER and CLEARING SA W Read and understand these instructions. Failure to do so will increase risk of injury . 99922202600 06/98 For your nearest ECHO Dealer, call 1-800-432-.
2 GRAPHIC W ARNINGS Circle and slash symbol means whatever is shown is prohibited. Eye Loss from Thrown Objects RISKS Injury to Bystanders Injury Blade Contact from Kick Out (Blade Thrust) Eye Loss fr.
3 W ARNING DANGER Read the operator’s manual carefully. Be familiar with the con- trols and the proper use of the unit. Know how to shut the unit off, and how to unhook a harnessed unit quickly. CONTENTS GRAPHIC WARNINGS ............................
4 • A bladed unit can kickout, causing serious injury to helpers, bystanders or animals. Keep people and animals at least 15- meters (approximately 50 feet) away. Use proper procedures to keep control of the unit. • The blade can push, pull or kickout, causing the operator to lose his balance or lose control of the unit.
5 ANSI Z87.1 - The established standard for eye protection devices, set forth by the American National Standards Institutes (ANSI). BARRIER - A device, such as a bar handle, U-handle or harness, which restrains the unit’s cutting attachment from moving rearward and making inadvertent contact with the operator’s legs.
6 GLOSSAR Y (CONTINUED) STRESS CRACK - Structural damage resulting from misfiling of blade teeth, pinching in a cut or using the blade as a lever. TIP SPEED - The speed of the cutting line or blade (in mph or fpm) at the perimeter of the cutting circle.
7 SHOULDER ROTARY MOWERS CONVERTIBLE FOR METAL BLADE USE COUNTER- CLOCKWISE HEAD ROTATION STRAIGHT SHAFT MODELS SRM SERIES GRASS/WEED/BRUSH CUTTERS STOP SWITCH THROTTLE LEVER D-HANDLE ON SOME MODELS I.
8 EYE AND FACE PROTECTION At the minimum, the operator must wear eye approved protection, not only against objects thrown by the unit, but also because eye infections can be caused by airborne dust, seeds and pollen. ECHO safety goggles are stamped Z87 as being in compliance with ANSI Standard Z87.
9 COMBINA TIONS OF CUTTING HEADS, SHIELDS, HANDLES, ETC… PLASTIC DEBRIS SHIELD FOR CURVED SHAFT UNITS CUT-OFF KNIFE ON RIGHT SIDE PLASTIC DEBRIS SHIELD WHEN PROVIDED FOR STRAIGHT SHAFT UNITS CUT-OFF.
10 RULES FOR SAFE OPERA TION TRAINING W ARNING DANGER All model trimmers and brushcutters can throw small gravel, stone, glass, metal or plastic objects as well as the material being cut. Read these “Rules for Safe Operation” with care. Follow instructions in this safety manual and in your operator’s manual.
11 Do not allow anyone to enter the operating DANGER ZONE with you. The danger zone is an area 15 meters in radius (about 16 paces) or 50 feet. Insist that persons in the RISK ZONE beyond the danger zone wear eye protection from thrown objects.
12 SEE THE OPERATOR’S MANUAL FOR PROPER HANDLE INSTALLATION. Use a shoulder harness when provided or when recommended in this manual. Adjust both harness and the harness clamp on the unit so the unit hangs with the cutting head a few inches above ground level.
13 You should be in good mental and physical health. Do not operate if you are under the influence of alcohol or any medication or substance which could affect your vision, dexterity or judgment. Inspect the area before using the unit. Remove objects which the unit could throw or become entangled with.
14 Never operate the tool without good visibility and light. Lay the unit down on a clear area and set the controls for starting. While cranking the unit, use one hand to pull the starter handle and the other hand to stabilize the unit.
15 W ARNING DANGER Use only ECHO cutting attachments on your unit. Do not mount a metal blade on any unit of the GT series. Do not mount an ordinary circular saw blade, lawnmower blade, edge/ trimmer blade, or grinding type cut off wheel on your ECHO Weed/Grass Trimmer or Weed/Brush Cutter.
16 W ARNING DANGER One of the intended purposes of the debris shield is to reduce the risk of the operator’s legs from being struck by thrown objects. The debris shield, however, should NOT be relied upon to provide protection for the eyes from thrown objects.
17 The proper debris shield must be in place on the unit when nylon cutting line is used. a ) Units with Echomatic TM semi-automatic line head must have a debris shield with cut-off knife. b) Units with manual feed line head or blade head require a debris shield.
18 The basic cutting actions pictured are: Trimming, scything, scalp- ing and lawn edging. These actions are as follows TRIMMING: This is feeding the trimmer carefully into the material you wish to cut. Tilt the head slightly to direct debris away from you.
19 W ARNING DANGER Always check that there is a safe distance between the cutting device and your feet. Be sure to keep the cutting device away from your body during operation.
20 Always wear proper eye protection against thrown objects. Objects can bounce up at you from the ground under the debris shield, or ricochet off any nearby hard surface. Do not trim at high blade or line speeds near roadways when there is traffic, or in places where there are pedestrians.
21 CUTTING WITH BLADES W ARNING DANGER • Do not install a metal blade on GT series trimmer models, or any model which lacks a hole for the blade-securing cotter pin on the cutting head shaft. • When using an SRM model with metal blades, replace the trimmer debris shield with the metal blade debris shield.
22 W ARNING DANGER Be sure you understand the reaction forces of push and pull, and kickout (also called blade thrust), described in this manual, and how these forces may affect your balance in the operation of a bladed unit.
23 NOTE Do not use a weed blade to cut brush or trees which exceed a diameter of 1/2 to 3/4 inches. Scything can be done in both directions, or just in one way which results in the debris being thrown away from you. That is using the side of the blade that it is rotating away from you.
24 If a tether line is used to insure that a tree falls away from the blade, the line holder must wear proper eye protection and attire, and be no closer to the tool that 15 meters (50 feet). Be very careful when recutting cleared areas. If the blade can not cut clear through a short stump, it may tear it off and hurl it back at high speeds.
25 ECHO FLEXIBLE WEED/GRASS BLADE FOR SRM UNITS ONL Y This three-bladed device, with a 10-inch radius, is made of flexible plastic on a rigid hub. Use in place of a nylon line head on ECHO SRM series units only.
26 ECHO BRUSH BLADES FOR SRM UNITS ONL Y ECHO BLADES There are three types of ECHO Blades: knife, brush and clearing blades. The ECHO products catalog lists the blade sizes available. These blades must be in sharp condition for both safety and good results.
27 Guard against kicking . Obstructions in or on the soil can cause the tines to kick forward or upward. The tines can also kick back toward the operator if allowed to contact obstructions above them. a ) Wear non-slip gloves and use the proper grip on the handles to keep control of the unit.
ECHO INCORPORATED 400 OAKWOOD ROAD LAKE ZURICH, IL 60047 www.echo-usa.com PRINTED IN U.S.A.
An important point after buying a device Echo BRUSHCUTTER (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Echo BRUSHCUTTER yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Echo BRUSHCUTTER - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Echo BRUSHCUTTER you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Echo BRUSHCUTTER will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Echo BRUSHCUTTER, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Echo BRUSHCUTTER.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Echo BRUSHCUTTER. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Echo BRUSHCUTTER along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
