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A brush cutter includes a center deck that is pivotally coupled to a first wing deck and a second wing deck. Each deck has a hydraulic cutting assembly. A mounting portion can be attached to a front carrier portion of a drive vehicle. The brush cutter has a hydraulic manifold operably coupled to eac

A brush cutter includes a center deck that is pivotally coupled to a first wing deck and a second wing deck. Each deck has a hydraulic cutting assembly. A mounting portion can be attached to a front carrier portion of a drive vehicle. The brush cutter has a hydraulic manifold operably coupled to each cutting assembly and configured to be operably coupled to a hydraulic system of the drive vehicle. The manifold includes valves that control the flow of drive fluid to the hydraulic cutting assemblies. Sensing arrangements signal the valves to shut off the drive fluid to the wing decks if the wing decks pivot upward from a lowered position to a first angular position. The sensing arrangements can optionally signal the drive vehicle's hydraulic system to reduce the flow of drive fluid to the hydraulic manifold for each wing deck that pivots upward to the angular position.

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1. A hydraulically driven rotary brush cutting system, comprising a left wing cutting deck comprising a first hydraulic cutting assembly, a left cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the left wing cutting deck, and a first skid structure extending from the front edge of the left wing c

1. A hydraulically driven rotary brush cutting system, comprising a left wing cutting deck comprising a first hydraulic cutting assembly, a left cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the left wing cutting deck, and a first skid structure extending from the front edge of the left wing cutting deck at a left side edge of the left wing cutting deck;a right wing cutting deck comprising a second hydraulic cutting assembly, a right cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the right wing cutting deck, and a second skid structure extending from the front edge of the right wing cutting deck at a right side edge of the right wing cutting deck;a center cutting deck having a first side pivotally coupled to the left wing cutting deck and a second side pivotally coupled to the right wing cutting deck, the center cutting deck comprising a third hydraulic cutting assembly, and a center cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the center cutting deck;a mounting portion positioned at a back end of the center cutting deck, the mounting portion configured to be attached to a front carrier portion of a drive vehicle;a hydraulic manifold operably coupled to each of the first, second, and third hydraulic cutting assemblies, the hydraulic manifold configured to be operably coupled to a hydraulic power system of the drive vehicle and comprising a first valve that controls flow of a drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly, and a second valve that controls flow of the drive fluid the second hydraulic cutting assembly;a first sensing arrangement in communication with the first valve and the hydraulic power system of the drive vehicle; anda second sensing arrangement in communication with the second valve and the hydraulic power system of the drive vehicle;wherein the first sensing arrangement is configured to sense when the left wing cutting deck pivots upward from a lowered position to a first angular position, signal the first valve to shut off flow of the drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly, and signal the hydraulic power system to reduce a flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic power system to the hydraulic manifold; andwherein the second sensing arrangement is configured to sense when the right wing cutting deck pivots upward from the lowered position to a second angular position, signal the second valve to shut off flow of the drive fluid to the second hydraulic cutting assembly, and signal the hydraulic power system to reduce the flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic power system to the hydraulic manifoldwherein the brush cutter is configured to clear brush, small trees, and exposed stumps. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the hydraulic cutting assemblies comprises a rotary cutting head and a hydraulic motor that drives the rotary cutting head. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and the second sensing arrangements comprise a sensing plate and a sensor that outputs a control signal to one of the first and the second valves based on relative movement of the sensing plate and the sensor during pivoting of one of the left and the right wing cutting decks. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor is an inductive sensor that generates the control signal based on proximity of the sensing plate. 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor is mounted to the center cutting deck and the sensing plate is mounted to one of the left and the right wing cutting decks. 6. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor comprises a sensing face and the sensing plate covers the sensing face in the lowered position. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first angular position and the second angular position are each approximately 15° from the lowered position. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensing arrangement signals the first valve to turn on flow of the drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly when the left wing cutting deck pivots downward from a raised position to the first angular position; and wherein the second sensing arrangement signals the second valve to turn on flow of the drive fluid to the second hydraulic cutting assembly when the right wing cutting deck pivots downward from the raised position to the second angular position. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein pivoting of the left wing cutting deck is independent from pivoting of the right wing cutting deck. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second sensing arrangements is configured to signal the hydraulic power system to reduce the flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic power system to the hydraulic manifold by about one third of a full flow of the drive fluid. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein: the left wing cutting deck further comprises a first top guard rail at the outer side edge of the left wing cutting deck and extending forward from a top edge of the left cutting guard; andthe right wing cutting deck further comprise a second top guard rail at the outer side edge of the right wing cutting deck and extending forward from a top edge of the right cutting guard. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the center cutting deck further comprises two spaced-apart skid structures, one at each side of the center cutting deck and each extending from the front edge of the center cutting deck. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein top edges of the cutting guards have a scalloped shape. 14. A method for cutting brush with a hydraulically driven rotary brush cutter connected to a site prep tractor, comprising: operating the brush cutter, comprising driving a first hydraulic cutting assembly mounted to a left wing cutting deck wherein the left wing cutting deck comprises a left cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the left wing cutting deck, and a first skid structure extending front the front edge of the left wing cutting deck at an outer side edge of the left wing cutting deck,driving a second hydraulic cutting assembly mounted to a right wing cutting deck wherein the right wing cutting deck comprises a right cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the right wing cutting deck, and a second skid structure extending from the front edge of the right wing cutting deck at an outer side edge of the right wing cutting deck, anddriving a third hydraulic cutting assembly mounted to a center cutting deck that is pivotally coupled to the first and the right wing cutting decks wherein the center cutting deck comprises a center cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the center cutting deck;operating the brush cutter with the left wing cutting deck and the right wing cutting deck in a lowered position;clearing brush, small trees, and exposed stumps using one or more of the first, second and third hydraulic cutting assemblies;raising the left wing cutting deck along a range of travel extending from the lowered position to a raised position of the left wing cutting deck;sensing the raising of the left wing cutting deck to a first position along the range of travel;generating a control signal based on sensing the raising of the left wing cutting deck to the first position; andactuating a valve with the control signal to shut off flow of a drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly; andreducing a flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic system of the site prep tractor to the hydraulic manifold based on the control signal. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising carrying the brush cutter with a site prep tractor having a hydraulic system operably coupled to the first, the second, and the third hydraulic cutting assemblies. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the hydraulic cutting assemblies comprises a rotary cutting head and a hydraulic motor that drives the rotary cutting head. 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising sensing the raising of the left wing cutting deck and generating the control signal with a first sensor arrangement comprising a sensing plate and a sensor that generates the control signal based on relative movement of the sensing plate and the sensor during raising of the left wing cutting deck. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor is mounted to the center cutting deck and wherein raising the left wing cutting deck comprises moving the sensing plate relative to the sensor. 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising lowering the left wing cutting deck from the raised position to the first position,sensing the lowering of the left wing cutting deck to the first position,generating the control signal based on sensing the lowering of the left wing cutting deck to the first position, andactuating the valve with the control signal to turn on flow of the drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly. 20. A hydraulically driven rotary brush cutting system, comprising a site prep tractor; anda brush cutter configured to clear brush, small trees, and exposed stumps, the brush cutter comprising: a left wing cutting deck comprising a first hydraulic cutting assembly, a left cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the left wing cutting deck, and a first skid structure extending from the front edge of the left wing cutting deck at a left side edge of the left wing cutting deck;a right wing cutting deck comprising a second hydraulic cutting assembly, a right cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the right wing cutting deck, and a second skid structure extending from the front edge of the right wing cutting deck at a right side edge of the right wing cutting deck;a center cutting deck having a first side pivotally coupled to the left wing cutting deck and a second side pivotally coupled to the right wing cutting deck, the center cutting deck comprising a third hydraulic cutting assembly, and a center cutting guard extending upward from a front edge of the center cutting deck;a mounting portion positioned at a back end of the center cutting deck, the mounting portion configured to be attached to a front carrier portion of the site prep tractor;a hydraulic manifold operably coupled to each of the first, second, and third hydraulic cutting assemblies, the hydraulic manifold configured to be operably coupled to a hydraulic power system of the drive vehicle and comprising a first valve that controls flow of a drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly, and a second valve that controls flow of the drive fluid the second hydraulic cutting assembly;a first sensing arrangement in communication with the first valve and the hydraulic power system of the site prep tractor; anda second sensing arrangement in communication with the second valve and the hydraulic power system of the site prep tractor;wherein the first sensing arrangement is configured to sense when the left wing cutting deck pivots upward from a lowered position to a first angular position, signal the first valve to shut off flow of the drive fluid to the first hydraulic cutting assembly, and signal the hydraulic power system to reduce a flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic power system to the hydraulic manifold; andwherein the second sensing arrangement is configured to sense when the right wing cutting deck pivots upward from the lowered position to a second angular position, signal the second valve to shut off flow of the drive fluid to the second hydraulic cutting assembly, and signal the hydraulic power system to reduce the flow of drive fluid from the hydraulic power system to the hydraulic manifold.