A research desk for loads that have to hold.

Load Cove covers everything that carries, tows or secures a load. Carts, wagons, bike racks and trailers, receiver hitches, cargo carriers, and the straps and hardware that keep it all from moving. We compare that gear by rated capacity and published specification, so you are not guessing what will hold.

What we cover

Everything on this site falls into one of four load classes. We organise it this way because the first question is never which brand is best. It is what you are moving, how heavy it is, and what is moving it.

• Hand-hauled. Fishing carts, shopping wagons, garden carts and hand trucks. Up to roughly 300 lb, where wheel type and terrain usually matter more than the frame rating.
• Bike-hauled. Front baskets, rear racks, panniers and cargo trailers. Roughly 20 to 150 lb, where the rack carries its own limit separate from the bicycle’s.
• Vehicle-towed. Receiver hitches, pins, balls and hitch-mounted cargo carriers. Class rating and tongue weight set the ceiling here, not ball size.
• Secured and strapped. Ratchet straps, tie-downs, cargo nets and anchor points. The working load limit on the tag is the number that matters.

Alongside the buying guides we publish gear explainers and comparisons, how-to guides and repairs, and DIY builds and projects. The explainers exist because most hauling mistakes come from misreading a spec sheet rather than buying a bad product.

How we research

Every figure published on Load Cove comes from one of three source types, and we name the source type on the page where the figure appears.

What we do not do

We say this openly because a great deal of published gear coverage claims hands-on testing that never happened. In a category where the wrong rating can drop a load on a road, that kind of invention is worse than useless. Where a figure cannot be verified from a named source, our pages say so rather than filling the gap with an estimate.

How we rank

Rankings and any scores shown on this site are editorial judgements formed from the source types above. They are not laboratory measurements and should not be read as such. Where we publish a score, it is labelled as an editorial score on the page itself.

Four things carry the most weight in a ranking: whether the rated capacity is clearly documented rather than vaguely advertised, how completely the manufacturer publishes its specifications, whether the price is reasonable for the rating you actually receive, and whether verified owners consistently report the same behaviour over time.

Who writes this

Load Cove is written and maintained by a small independent research desk. We do not publish author bylines or photographs on guide pages, because nobody on this site has personally handled the products described, and attaching a name and face to a page implies a familiarity we have not earned. What we can stand behind is the sourcing, and that is what we publish instead.

If you spot a specification that has changed, a figure we have recorded incorrectly, or a product that has been discontinued, please tell us. Corrections from readers are the fastest way this site improves.

How we make money

Load Cove is funded through affiliate commissions. When you follow a link from one of our guide pages to a retailer and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Amazon Associates is our primary programme.

Commission does not decide our rankings. We are not paid by manufacturers for coverage, we do not accept payment for a placement or a score, and we do not remove a product from a guide because it earns us less. Full detail is set out in our affiliate disclosure.

Last updated: August 17, 2026