2
SAFETY RULES
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING:
Whenusingelect ric hedge trim-
mers,basi csafet yprecaut ionsshouldalways
be followed to reduce the risk of fire, electr ic
shock, and personal i njury. Read all inst ruc-
tions. Be thoroughly familiar with the controls
and the proper use of t he equipment.
OPERA TOR SAFETY
S
DANGER
: Risk of cut. Keep hands away
from blades. Keep both hands on handles
when power i s on. Do not att empt to clear
away cut material when blades are in mo-
tion. Make sure trigger switch is not en-
gaged and power source is disconnected
when removing jammed material f rom
blades. Do not grab or hold uni t by blades.
S
WARNING: Do not use without handle
and guard. See Assembly section.
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Dress properly. Always wear safety
glasses. Always wear face or dust mask if
operationisdusty.Alw ayswearheavy,long
pants,boot s,andgloves.Securehairsoitis
above shoulder length. Do not go barefoot
orwearshortpants,sandals,jewelry,loose
clothing, or clothing with loosely hanging
straps, ties, t assels, etc.; t hey can be
caughtinmovingpart s.Beingfully covered
will help protect you from pieces of toxic
plants such as poison ivy t hrown by the
blades, which could be more of a hazard
than touching the plant itself .
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Stay alert. Do not operate unit when you
aretired,ill,orundertheinfluence ofalco-
hol, drugs, or medication. Watch what
you are doing. Use common sense.
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A void unintentional starting of unit. Never
carry unit with yourfinger on t riggerswitch.
Be sure trigger switch is not engaged be-
fore connecting extension cord.
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CAUTION:Bl adesmove moment aril yaft er
the trigger switch is released. Allow blades
to stop before removing them from the cut.
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W ear hearing protection when using unit.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY
S
WARNING: To reduce risk of electrical
shock, avoid dangerous environment. Do
not use on wet hedges or shrubbery, in
damp or wet locations, or around swim-
ming pools, hot tubs, etc. Do not expose
to snow,rain,or water toavoid the possi-
bility of electrical shock.
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To reduce the r isk ofelectric shock, thisap-
pliance has a polarized plug (one blade i s
wider than t he other) and wi ll require the
use of a polarized extension cord. The ap-
pliance pl ug will fit int o a polarized exten-
sioncordonlyone way. Iftheplug doesnot
fitfully into the ext ension cord, reversethe
plug. If the plug still does not fit, obtain a
correct polar ized extension cord. A polar-
izedextension cor dwill require the useof a
polarized wall outlet. This pl ug will fi t into
thepolarized walloutl etonly one way.Ifthe
plugdoes notfit fully into the wall outlet,r e-
verse the plug. If the pl ug still does not fit,
contact a quali fied electrici an to install the
proper wall out let. Do not change the
equipmentpl ug,ext ension cord receptacle,
or extension cord plug in any way.
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WARNING: To reduce the risk of electri-
cal shock, use extension cords specifi-
cally marked as suitable for outdoor
appliances having electrical rating not
less than the rating of the unit. The cord
must be marked with the suffix “WA” (“W”
in Canada). An undersized extension
cord will cause a drop in line voltage re -
sulting in loss of power and overheating.
If in doubt, use the next heavier gauge.
The smaller the gauge number, the
heavier the cord. See Select an Exten-
sion Cord section.
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Use only a 120 A.C. voltage supply as
shown on the nameplate of unit.
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Make sure your extension cord is ingood
condition.
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Do not use in the presence of flammable
liquids or gases to avoid creating a fireor
explosion and/or causing damage tounit.
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Do not attempt to repair unit. Inspect in-
sulation and connectors on unit and ex-
tension cord before each use. If there is
any damage, do not use until damage is
repaired by qualified service personnel.
Do not use a damaged extension cord.
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Don’t abuse cord. Never carry unit by
cord or yank cord to disconnect unit.
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To reduce the possibility of extension
cord disconnecting fromunitduring oper-
ation, attach extension cord to cord re-
tainer on unit.See illustration in Select an
Extension Cord section.
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Do not use unit if the trigger switch does
not turn the unit on and off properly. Re-
pairstotheswitchmustbemade byquali-
fied service personnel.
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Keep the extension cord clear of the op-
erator, blades, and obstacles at alltimes.
Do not expose cords toheat,oil,water,or
sharp edges.
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A voidbodycontactwithany grounded con-
ductor, such as met alpipes orwir e fences,
to avoid the possibility of electric shock.
UNIT SAFETY
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Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (
GFCI
)
protection should be provided on the cir-
cuit or outlet to be used for the hedge