re: Help me pick a zero turn mower

2 things I'd consider.
1 - Avoid big box stores. Even decent name brands at big box stores. When Home Depot orders lawn mowers from say Toro or whatever good name brand they sell, they try to get the price point down and they do that by using thinner gauge metal and cheaper components.

2 - I bought my mower from a local lawn mower shop. I told the guy I wanted a 48" or 52". He said that the blade spacing on the 48" was too big meaning there wasn't as much overlap between the blades as the 52". So on the 48" you're more likely to have leave some amount of grass un-mowed. This will vary based on the brand, but it was good information to have on the mowers I was considering.