Using the stochastic Langevin model coupled with a statistical decay model, we study the influence of pre-equilibrium (PE) emission on probing postsaddle friction (β) with neutrons. A postsaddle friction value of (14−16.5) ×10 21 s −1 and (11−13) ×10 21 s −1 is obtained from comparing calculated and measured prescission neutron multiplicities of heavy fissioning systems 248 Fm and 256 Fm in the absence and presence of the deformation factor. Moreover, it is found that a larger β is required to fit multiplicity data after the PE effect is accounted for, and that the effect becomes stronger when more energy is removed by PE particles. Our findings suggest that, to more accurately determine the postsaddle friction strength through the measurement of prescission neutrons, in addition to incorporating the contribution of PE evaporation source into the experimental multi-source analysis for particle energy spectra in coincidence with fission fragments, on the theoretical side, it is very important to make a precise evaluation of the energy that PE emission carries away from excited compound systems produced in heavy-ion fusion reactions.