Can You Tow A Car Without Tires?

Your vengeful ex might have slashed your tires or they might have gotten stolen, either way, now you need to move your wheel-less car to a garage to fix it.  So you’re wondering if you can tow your car without tires.

The answer is Yes, you can tow your car without tires. You have the option of using flatbed towing or any kind of hauling that does not require any of the 4 tires.

However, towing a car without tires is a difficult task. The best way to do it is to pull the wheel car along the ground using a winch. Using this winch, you can pull the vehicle into the towing trailer which you can use to move the car to the desired location. 

This task is a strenuous and dangerous one, it is recommended to be attempted only by qualified professionals (do not do this at home, school, or anywhere!) 

To do this, please follow the following instructions to the letter: 

Instruction 1:

Wrap the end of your cable strap around the base of a large tree, if you do not have a large tree, tie it around a large post heavily supported by rebar and cement pavers, it must be buried at least 4 feet into the ground. Tie the cable strap on your pole or tree as close to the ground as possible.

Instruction 2: 

Pull up the clutch lever on the Winch and push down the safety lever simultaneously. This is done so that your van disengages the clutch of the Winch and unrolls the cable.

Instruction 3:

Screw a large clamp on the tow points under the front of the car, the tow points are strong enough because they are made of heavy steel bolted to the underside of the car. Thread a heavy chain through both screwed clamps and secure the edges of the chain with a final clamp.

Instruction 4:

Tie the cable of the Winch to the final clamp holding the ends of the heavy chain together.

Instruction 5:

Create a safety strap to secure the cable in case it breaks. Clamp a long strap to the place where the chain and the cable are connected. Tie the other end of this strap to a heavy tire which should be placed on the rear(hood) of the car.

Instruction 6:

Line up the trailer with the front of your car. To prevent damage to the bottom of your car, place a sloping board over the metal ramp to the trailer 

Instruction 7:

Enter the car and shift the transmission to neutral, this is to make the rim of your absent wheels turn easily and the dragging process will be faster.

(Make sure you put on heavy leather gloves in order to protect your hands before this step) Pull the lever on the Winch to slowly drag the vehicle forward, pulling the lever is a difficult step that may require two people.

Keep pulling the vehicle forward till it rolls into the trailer, then move it whenever you want.

Towing With GuniWheels

Another way to tow your wheel- less car, is calling a tow company that is capable and has the right equipment to do it. This would cost you some cash but save you a lot of stress if done well.

One of the equipment that may be used is called a Guniwheel. A Guniwheel is a universal bolt and lug patterned wheel designed specifically for mounting and safely moving a wheel- less vehicle. 

The wheels were built to fit all types of vehicles; trucks, SUVs, etc. Once they have been installed on your cat, the vehicle can be easily towed as it now has wheels to roll on without damage.

So whether your wheels were stolen or you need to tow your car to a garage for repairs, Guniwheels can be used safely. They are like extra tires, only cheaper, and can be driven on at 5mph!

How To Tow A Car With Four Flat Tires

When you have your four tires present but destroyed, maybe slashed by that vengeful ex we mentioned earlier, the following can be done in order to tow it:

Call for a tow truck, make sure you tell them what type of vehicle you want to tow and its deformity i.e lack of functional tires. If you do not do this, the tow company may send the wrong type of towing vehicle which would really cause a waste of time and possibly, extra charges.

When calling for help, call for truck towing and explain that your car can not roll on two tires as with a dolly. The tow company would either send a flatbed tow truck or two fresh tires with a regular tow truck, this will be your choice.

Secondly, call the police while you wait for help. Since tow trucks and flatbed tow trucks usually take extra time to get to your location, you have time to and should call the police. This is for you to report the crime and possibly get reimbursed for your loss if the criminal is found.

Call the insurance company next, it might help to cover your tow in the least, although this largely depends on the kind of insurance coverage you have in your vehicle. They should also be informed just for future purposes.

When the tow truck arrives, unless you’re a professional, stay out of its way, this is because, if you opt to tow without the new tires, your car will have to be Winched and it is a dangerous and stressful exercise.

Although it might cause some damage to your rim, the tow truck driver will figure out a way to reduce the effect of hoisting and securing your car on the tow truck. 

Can you scrap a car with no wheels?

Just in case you’re not interested in towing or fixing up your wheel-less car and you are wondering if scrapping is the next best option, No, you can not scrap a car with no wheels. 

As a matter of fact, finding a dealer who can scrap a car with no wheels is very rare, this is because of the different equipment needed to lift and tow the car onto their towing vehicle. Although it is common for scrap dealers to have a high-power Winched, they do not usually have the type of crane needed for the process. 

It is possible to find a scrap dealer with a crane but it is rare, and since they are very few, you are likely to end up getting a low price for the car or you may not find a dealer that is located around you at all. So keeping your wheels on the vehicle is important if you plan to scrap it.

A dealer may refuse to scrap it because (a) he may find the time and effort simply not worth it (b)  because he does not have the specialized equipment needed to tow a car with no wheels.

Will a junkyard tow a car without wheels?

Most Junkyards have flatbed tow trucks which makes it easy for them to haul wheel-less vehicles. They are very common so if you find one that wants to charge you to move it, just call another one. Although you might not get paid for the cat at least you won’t be charged.,

FAQs

Loading a car with no wheels on a trailer

Put a floor jack under the front of the car so it can roll, then back the trailer in as far as you can. As an alternative, you can place a pipe under the car about halfway back, let it down, it will winch right up where you want it with the pipe and floor jack combo.

Can I tow A Wheel-less Car With A Dolly?

No, you can’t, unless you call for extra tires from the tow company, then you can use your dolly comfortably. The only way is to winch the car on a flatbed tow truck.

Can I Flat Tow A Wheel-less Car?

Absolutely not, flat towing is a process that requires all four wheels of a car on the ground, rolling behind the tow truck or towing vehicle. This is why it is not recommended for RWDs or FWDs or 4WDs.

CONCLUSION – Can You Tow A Car Without Tires?

Now you have your answer as to whether you can tow your wheel-less car, you can do that but only through a strenuous process which you should absolutely not try alone.

Thus, it is advised that you should call your tow company when you lose all wheels, they will send professionals that CAN help you with the above-described process. 

Tow safely!