Minecraft wiki entry for Minecart_with_Hopper, associated text: A minecart with hopper pulls in items lying nearby (within a range slightly larger than the cart itself), or inside a container above the track, at a rate of up to 20 items per second, much faster than an ordinary hopper. It also picks up items that are lying on a block directly above the track. It does not push items into containers, but a hopper underneath the track can remove items from a minecart with hopper on the track. Ordinary hoppers can also drop items into a minecart with hopper like other containers, at the normal speed of 2.5 items per second.