I've always had an interest in leather britches as well. My great-grandmother told me when canning jars became available, her family pretty much stopped drying beans.
Here is a
video I recently watched that goes through all the steps from stringing to cooking them. I believe she even mentions that you can use a dehydrator.
I'm going to try this with the red cut short beans my family has grown for generations. But in all honesty if I find myself overrun with beans, I'm sure some will be dried.