Here is some great info on the tepary beans...I will be growing them for the first time this year, too...
(there are 3 pages to this)

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/How-To-Grow-Beans.aspx
this one has some great growing info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_acutifolius
they can grow up to 13 feet! I talked to a guy up here (new york) that grows them, and he just plants a bush every 6 feet or so around the perimeter of his garden, and lets them grow to the top of his fence, then across the top of the fence all the way around his garden...he says he gets better yields that way...but I would caution you about that being that you're in zone 9....you get much stronger sun...maybe the young pods would get scorched where you are? I don't know anything about the sun and growing veggies where you are..so ask locals or others on this board!
I plan to plant a row of the mammoth sunflowers and let the beans grow up them..I think I should be ok doing that here.
As far as yield..from what I've read..tepary plants are heavy producers.