There is no shortage of well built mowers on the market. Break the tie by doing two things; demo them so you know which ones you like to operate and get to know which dealer will support you when you're in a crunch. Let those two things make up your mind and it will work out well.
Larry
Now that hit the nail on the head!!! My Gravely dealer spent the most time explaining the details of their machines, was less "pushy", made me feel like we had known each other for years and didn't hesitate a second to accept what I considered a fair offer(about $400 less than his initial best price). Most of the others wouldn't budge much from MSRP, told me how much better there ZTR's were than all the other brands and made me feel like I had to accept their price or hit the road. Being comfortable with the dealer you buy from is always under-rated by most people shopping for a ZTR, but it's one of the most important aspects of spending several thousand dollars on a piece of machinery(especially if you need them after the sale). For instance, they(Gravely) went up $35 dollars in 2013 on the Gravely mulch kit for my Pro Turn 152, but my dealer's parts guy sold it to me for the 2012 price that the Sales Manager quoted me last Fall when I purchased the mower. Not many will do something like that. When I did my first oil change at 10 hours, I gave the parts guy the Kawasaki part#. When I took my old one off I found out I told him the wrong one. They exchanged it without any discussion and didn't make me feel like an idiot giving them the wrong# the first time. How you are treated after the sale will make a huge difference in the ZTR owner experience!!!