My husband shopped for a new truck for months, before deciding on an automatic, 3/4 ton, heavy duty, 4X4, 2006 Chevrolet Silverado. As a horse owner and farmer, he was going to need something big enough to pull almost anything and do it with power.

The 6.0 liter V-8 engine with 300 horsepower does it...and does it well. The heavy duty suspension allows us to pull heavier loads than most trucks could without a lot of difficulty.

We've pulled a stock trailer with 4 horses weighing approximately 800 to 1000 lbs each. It went up and down hills easily, thanks to the trailer overdrive button found on the end of the column gearshift. It shifts smoothly without the jerk or hesitation found in some vehicles. If there is a large load being towed the rpm's may need to climb more than usual before it shifts.

The 4 wheel drive is stick shift on the floor and can be pulled into gear while on the move. When used it chews through the loose sand of the nearby state forest with the same trailer and horses behind it. This 2006 Chevy Silverado is, also, used to pull large farm equipment down the road and out of muddy fields.

For a large, work classified, truck the ride is smooth. We used this truck for a 4 hour round trip and never once had a complaint about how it rode. There is some stiffness in the suspension, but the seats are comfortable and fit well to our backs and leg length. (Husband is 6'3", me 6')

Braking is an important factor any time, but when you have a heavy load behind you, it's imperative that the brakes work well. The 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD has come to a smooth, quick stop more than once when deer have jumped out in front of us. There may be some bucking of the trailer behind us, but the truck handles it well and gets everything stopped when it matters.

Inside you'll find a 40/20/40 bench seat, split next to the driver for adjustment by both the driver and passenger. In the middle, on the front of the seat there is a double cup holder that can be pushed back into the seat when not in use.

Dual heat/air controls are a definite plus, especially when a husband and wife can't agree whether it's to hot or to cold. The driver and passenger can control the climate on their side of the vehicle. The heat and air work within minutes of being turned on, without the sweating/shivering wait.

A standard AM/FM radio gives good sound out of the manufacture speakers, found in both sides of the dash, doors and small speakers behind each seat.

Headlights have 3 settings. Parking lights, On and Auto. Auto has a sensor, that when the truck is running, will automatically turn the headlights on, even, when it is cloudy out.

The delay windshield wipers have many settings between off and on/slow, with on/high being the last setting.

Dual air-bags are a comforting feature, also. The passenger air-bag can be locked on or off. If there's a child or small adult in the passenger seat the locked air-bag won't allow it to deploy and cause more harm than good.

You'll find, what we call "hang-on handles" above both doorways and across the passenger dashboard. They're a nice feature, not just for bouncing across a muddy field to hang on to, but to help get up into the truck. This truck sets up high and, as a 6' woman, I have difficulty getting in without the use of those handles.

Cruise control has an "on" position that will leave cruise to be operated with just a touch of the button on the end of the turn signal arm. I like this cruise control as it doesn't just go up and down on a whim as the cruise in our other vehicle does. It holds steady on the speed you set.

Visibility is good all around. The only blind spot is the rather thick frame between the door and windshield. If you can't see something thru the long windshield and large door windows, you just aren't going to see it anyway.

Gas mileage is a price you pay for the work this truck does. Depending on whether or not we're towing something we'll get between 10-14 miles per gallon.

We love this 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD truck. It does the work it was built to do with ease, yet is stylish enough for a trip anywhere. At $27,800 brand new with less than a mile on the odometer when we bought it...it better live up to it's claims...after 6 months and 6800 miles, we believe it has and will.