Determination of the Weights of Technical Criteria Influencing the Performance of Petrol-Powered and Battery Powered Chainsaws by Means of the Entropy Method

Chainsaws are widely used in the tree cutting phase of wood harvesting activity in forest operations. In general, there are two types of chainsaws: petrol-powered and battery-powered. The performance of petrol and battery-powered chainsaws is affected by different factors, including moisture content of the wood, the tree species, environmental conditions, the experience of the operator, and the different technical characteristics of the chainsaw (power, weight, chain rotation speed, and bar length). This study aims to determine the weight of technical criteria affecting performance of petrol-powered chainsaws and battery-powered chainsaws. In the study, the entropy method was used for weight determination of the criteria. As technical criteria, chain speed at maximum power, total cylinder capacity, power, bar length, chain pitch, and weight criteria were taken into consideration for petrol-powered chainsaws. In battery-powered chainsaws, chain speed at maximum power, bar length, chain pitch, weight, and battery voltage criteria were considered. When the weight values of the technical criteria are evaluated in general, the most important performance criterion in petrol-powered chainsaws is the power criterion, while the chain speed at maximum power criterion in battery-powered saws. Based on that the power factor is the important for both chainsaws. In general, the results of this study will be beneficial for users to know how effective the technical criteria are in terms of performance in the alternative selection of different types of chainsaws, which are frequently used in different activities such as during the tree cutting phase in forest operations, pruning, and garden maintenance in urban areas.