Can You Tow A Car With The Handbrake On?

You may need to tow your car for a number of reasons, and for everyone, the circumstances will be very different. Some may be wondering, "what happens if my handbrake is still on and I need to tow my car?"

This usually brings up loads of questions, and many start to wonder if it will work, if it will damage the car, and if it is even possible. So, can a car be towed with parking brake on? Luckily, it is possible, and you can safely tow your car with the handbrake on. You just need to know how!

What is the Parking Brake For?

The parking brake is also known as the emergency brake or the handbrake. Its purpose is to keep your vehicle motionless when it has been put in park.

The parking brake can also be used when you need to make an emergency stop, and this is required when your brakes malfunction or fail.

Can Towing With the Parking Brake on Damage a Car?

When towing or even driving with the handbrake on, you can easily damage the disc or the drum, even when towing your vehicle for a very short distance at a time.

Your brakes can also overheat very quickly. This might crack the linings, cause the adhesive lining to fail, or it might get separated from the brake shoes or pads.

So towing your car with the handbrake on is not necessarily the best idea, and if you can avoid it, do. But there are cases where it merely has to be done.

How to Tow a Car With the Parking Brake Applied

If you find yourself in a position where you need to tow your car, but the handbrake is still on, you can easily do this by towing your car on its front wheels, especially if it is a rear-wheel drive car.

However, you will need to have a few accessories in order to do this. Towing accessories can make everything a lot easier and the process will go much smoother. But we will get to all of the great tools you can use in a bit!

Using flat bed tow trucks

If the handbrake or parking brake is still on, then the safest and best possible way to tow is to put the car on a flat bed tow truck so that all four of the wheels are off the ground. The wheels on a car with locked brakes will not move, so it is not safe to drag them on the ground. This will either cause a lot of damage or simply won't work.

Using tow dollies

Another way you could tow a vehicle with locked brakes is to use a tow dolly. The tow dolly will help by lifting the front wheels off the ground during towing, although this should only be done if you have a front-wheel drive car.

If you have a rear-wheel drive, instead, lift the rear wheels off the ground and tow the car on the front wheels. Essentially, the car should be facing backwards.

Choose a method that prevents the most damage to the components of your vehicle and the car itself.

How to use a tow dolly

Start by aligning your tow vehicle with the hitch on your tow dolly. Once this is done, lift the release lever on the ramp of the tow dolly. Then pull the ramps outwards from the tow dolly.

Now that this part is set up, align the front wheels of the vehicle you are going to tow and ensure that they are in line with the ramps from the tow dolly.

Once everything is aligned, you can either push or drive the vehicle onto the tow dolly, depending on what state your vehicle is in. As noted above, when towing two-wheel drive cars, the main driving wheels should always be off the ground.

This means that rear-wheel drive cars should always be towed by lifting the back wheels off the ground, and front-wheel cars will always be towed with their front wheels off the ground. Cars towed incorrectly will likely suffer lots of damage, so it's vital to understand what you're doing and load up your car properly.

When loading up your vehicle and towing it, it is always best to be vigilant and take it slow - speeding will cause loads of problems for you.

What gear you should be in when towing:

It is also important to know what gear you should be in when you tow your car. So if your vehicle has its emergency brakes on, then using a two-wheel towing method or traditional flat bar may be very challenging or not even possible at all.

If this is the case, then it is best to put your car in neutral gear. This will put it in the best position so that you can properly tow it. The reason for this is that the vehicle's engine gets disengaged when you put your car in a neutral position.

This will also greatly reduce the risk of causing severe damage and works best when doing short-distance towing.

Consider the different wheel drives:

You will find that four-wheel drive cars are difficult to tow. If all four of the wheels are on the ground, you will need to keep your transmission in either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive so that the car does not skip out while being towed at a high speed.

Be aware of damaging the transmission system.

If all four wheels of the car are on the ground, then you should only ever tow the vehicle when it is in neutral. And if the wheels don't happen to be on the ground, then you can get away with not putting your car in neutral.

The main reason (and most important) why it is best to tow cars in neutral is because it causes the least damage to your transmission system. If you tow a car with the emergency brake on and not in neutral, you will risk badly damaging the car.

This is especially a bad idea for cars with automatic transmissions. Your top priority needs to be avoiding any damage to your transmission system, as this is highly possible.

Parking brake VS handbrake?

You might have heard the terms parking brakes and handbrake used interchangeably - they are simply different terms for the same part of a car.

Types of Handbrakes:

There are various different types of handbrakes. You get the center lever, stick lever, pedal, and the push button or electric brakes. A stick lever is generally found in older cars and models, and you can usually find it under the instrumental panel.

A center lever is usually located in between the two front bucket seats and is most common in newer cars and models.

The center lever and stick lever are categorized into the same group, while the pedal brake belongs to a separate group of parking brakes, and it is usually found on the floor on the left-hand side of all of the other panels.

Then you have the push button and electric brake, this type of brake can be found on the console with all of your car's other controls. In total, there are three separate types of parking brakes.

The simple answer: Yes, a car can be towed with the parking brake on!

So, can a car be towed with the parking brake on? Yes, it certainly can! There are different ways and methods you can use to get the job done, and it is just essential that you follow the right steps and do everything properly.

Some experts may advise against it, but sometimes you do need to do what you have to do.

FAQ

Can you move with the handbrake on?

Yes, it is certainly possible to move with a broken emergency brake. Unless it is a foot-operated brake or if you really push down on the brake until it doesn’t move. However, the engine can usually overcome this and get the wheels moving again.

How do you move a car that won’t go into neutral?

You can move the car by holding the tab down, and at the same time grab the dial or shift lever in the same way you normally would. And then try to shift it to neutral. Before moving the car, disengage the parking brake and replace the cover.

Can you put a car in neutral without keys?

Yes, it is possible to put your car in neutral without using your keys. This is dangerous though and not recommended. Instead, find your spare keys or get into contact with a skilled mechanic.

What happens if you pull the car on the handbrake?

If you pull the car on handbrake your rear wheels will automatically lock which will cause your car to skid and eventually drift.

Final Thoughts

In most cases when you need to tow your car it is always best to call a mechanic or a reputable company. They are specialists in the field and will know exactly what to do - using tow trucks is better than trying to tow a car with the emergency brake applied by yourself.

You do not want to risk causing any severe damage to your car or making a minor mistake that will cost you in the long run. Unless you know enough about cars, rather leave it to the professionals.

At the end of the day, it is possible to tow a car when the handbrake is on, but you need to be sure that you do it properly and carefully follow the right steps if you want to avoid damaging your vehicle.

The way you tow your car will also depend on the type of vehicle you have, and if it is done incorrectly, you will end up with a bigger mess than you had before. Remember to always have the two non-driving wheels off the ground if you have to tow a car with the emergency brakes applied.

Your vehicle isn’t fragile, but it is precious cargo and you want to keep it in the best condition possible!

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