2Man team Far-End-Hauling logistics Question

I’m hoping Hudon or someone else familiar with using the Far End Hauling(FEH) technique of attaching the bags to the haul line with a MicroTrax, will reply with some advice on the best way to use this system for a team (non-solo)

So there are a lot of things about FEH that make a lot of sense to me- I’ve used it on a couple Solo outings and most recently on the Prow with a partner. I like not having to pull up the remaining haul line before hauling, I like that it eliminates the need for a lower-out line. I like that it allows some 2:1 far end hauling for the 2nd to help the bag along

My big gripe with the system has mostly to do with situations where verbal communication is lost between the climbers at opposite ends of the rope. (Something I find very common) and wondering what you guys familiar with the FEH system do in terms of communicating when you’re ready for the guy at the lower Belay to clamp the MicroTrax on the Haul Line..

In a classic hauling system with the haul line clipped to the bags at the end of the rope- I tend to arrive at the Belay, very quickly set up my anchor and take myself off Belay, then immediately set up my haul, pull out all the slack in the line and begin hauling to get the bag off the lower Belay.. I’ll do all of that as fast as possible before I do anything else- so that my partner can get on with breaking down his anchor and cleaning the pitch..
This classic system eliminates the need for any verbal communication if it is difficult to do so, since the guy at the bottom will know for sure that I am off Belay, his rope is fixed, and I am ready to Haul, if I start hauling the bags off the anchor..

So long way of asking- what communication system are you guys using FEH doing at belays?

Thanks!!!
-Quinn 

Why do you need to communicate anything?

Our haul line is 60 meters, a hair less than 200 feet and about 70 feet longer than most Yosemite wall pitches. On the first pitch, the second more or less pulls out the slack and calls it good. On the route, the second watches how much rope is left and deals with it accordingly. Rarely do we dick with it beyond that. 

Ok- sorry man.. I’m still confused.

So you leave the MicroTrax clamped on at say 150’ or wherever it was set on the first pitch? And only move it to adjust as Needed? 

Yes, exactly. 

Mark Hudon wrote: Yes, exactly. 

Thanks Mark!

In my experience, the leader takes less time to set the upper belay than the second to strip the lower. Hence giving the second more to do, like stuffing 20m of rope into a haul bag, makes little sense.
So, I would set the trax at the length of the longest pitch,  or a bit more. This also means the leader can short fix.

David Coley wrote: In my experience, the leader takes less time to set the upper belay than the second to strip the lower. Hence giving the second more to do, like stuffing 20m of rope into a haul bag, makes little sense.
So, I would set the trax at the length of the longest pitch,  or a bit more. This also means the leader can short fix.

????

Mark Hudon wrote:

????

“stuffing 20m of rope into a haul bag”?  

As in, if the haul line is in a rope bag, or looped at the belay in some way, if, as the OP suggests I think, he does not want to pull the spare line up the cliff, the second will have to stow it in the haul bag before deploying the far end tax. This will take longer than pulling it up the cliff. 

Why bother to stow it? Why not let it dangle?

Mark Hudon wrote: Why bother to stow it? Why not let it dangle?

No idea really. Is that what you do? Guessing I'm being overly concerned about it getting stuck in a crack or a down pointing spike or mashed between rock and bag.

Let it hang. If the winds are fully nuking and the rope is blowing straight out, I’d bag it. 

Mark Hudon wrote: Let it hang. If the winds are fully nuking and the rope is blowing straight out, I’d bag it. 

Will do. Thanks

After THOUSANDS of pitches of hauling - has anyone hauled more? - be it solo on my own, or even with partner[s], I have come to the conclusion that I will set up the Far End Haul 100% of the time.  Why is this?

1. The single most important reason is that I don't have to fight that bloody knot protector water bottle, sliding up and down the haul line and the zipline all the bloody time!  No knot means no knot protector needed.  What a time saver! 
2. I like to be able to crank the haul line tight from the bottom [when soloing] or on my own without having to wait for the partner up top to pull the haul line tight from his end
3. If the load gets stuck under a roof, the problem can be solved from the bag.  

#1 is so much the dominant reason, that I have a Far End Haul set up on top of not only my main load[s], but also my gear piglet on the end of the zipline.  I use a swivel with the big pigs [you pretty much have to] but don't use a swivel with the zipline-gear piglet load.

Note:  Besides having to buy extra Micro-Traxions, the drawback to setting up the Far End Haul is that you add extra length to the system - inverted Micro-Trax, dedicated locker and swivel which is over and above the single locker you would otherwise have on top of your pig. What this means is that pigs hang just that much lower at the anchor, and lower still if you are using a 2:1 and don't do a final 1:1 crank.  This is sometimes a pain, and sometimes it doesn't matter.