Here's how I did it
I think the jig for the wheels might work.
Does anyone know the distance from the nose wheel to
the mains front to back? Sure would help.
Mel, the fenders are 8" high, would I let the nose wheel rest on
the trailer? Tie it down there?
I don't know if you've moved it or not so I hope I'm not late to the party, but I can give you some data from my experience.
By the way, is this Jim Sweat's project? I'm guessing it is based on the location.
Anyway, I weighed all those options you listed and rented a 26' diesel truck to move my 9A with an identical configuration (except a tipup vs. slider) from Denver to Dallas. Looks like about the same distance for you. It wasn't really that bad, just a lot of preparation.
If I had a bunch of money, I would have hired Tony. However, time was of the essence for the sale - plus it was about $2/mile. This was too much for me to stomach despite hearing great things about him, so I set about doing it myself.
I went with Penske, because they typically have commercial style trucks (large diesel ones) available for good prices. My rental was about $200 for a one-way. Obviously the gas bill sucked, but that should give you an idea on price.
Now, the truck was 26' long, had an aluminum ramp and just enough horizontal clearance (width). By just enough, I mean that once the nosewheel was in you turn the plane to one side to clear that tire, then do the opposite for the other tire so it clears. It requires some "muscling" but I don't estimate more than 10 lbs of lateral force was imparted on the airframe. That didn't worry me too much either, because presumably this is the strongest portion of the structure.
Do yourself a favor and get a towbar now. It will suck if you do not have one - not for pulling the plane up, but really for steering the plane up/down the ramp.
Mel's suggestion for the jig is a good one. I would definitely do something like that next time (not that there will be a next time.)
Since the plane is not nearly 26', I gave myself a couple feet clearance to the front of the truck cargo bay bulkhead to store things. I also wanted some manuevering room and this appeared to put the CG not too far forward/aft for the cargo itself.
To limit movement within the truck I chose to chock the wheels. I got some scrap 2 x 4 and screwed it into the wooden deck of the truck to sandwich each tire (sorry Penske). That kept it pretty much stable so I could secure the plane to the rails on the side and top/bottom with racheting tiedowns. I used 8 of them, I think. I chose strong points to tie down the plane ... engine mounts, through the spar, etc. and when it was all said and done it was solid. I also used moving blankets and other soft items over plane surfaces to spread the contact area and prevent any rubbing. Obviously it would probably not hold up if I got in a crash, but of course all bets are off for that event anyway. But with this setup it was completely stable and after 2 days of traveling it didn't move an inch.
Now for the wings, those fit quite nicely on the sides of the truck, again using racheting tiedowns and lots of padding (actually used blankets and batt insulation). Again, it's obvious but I was very careful with the control surfaces and would recommend removing them. If I recall correctly, I think Jim had the fiberglass wingtips on there. I'd take those off too. But when racheted to the side rails of the cargo bay of the truck they were very stable, but had a nice "cushion" so they could absorb vibration, bumps, etc.
Now, the hard part. Getting it ON the truck was easy. Getting it off sucked. I had 5 friends and it was still a PITA. Probably should have checked this site more for advice, but the jig idea would do well. What I did was fabricate some ramps for the main wheels out of 2 x 6, and brace that underneath with those 5 gallon paint cans. This was a stupid decision. Nothing happened, but it definitely was "jury rigged" and something could have gotten damaged because it was not the most stable position. The nosewheel on the main ramp appeared to carry very little load so a majority was carried by those side ramps I hobbled together. See if a buddy has a 4 wheeler ramp, or go get some long angle iron from the steel yard and make some nice ramps. This will save you a lot of grief.
I'll post some pics tonight if I can dig them up. It was a process but all told I got it home safe and sound on a budget. Clearly there is room for improvement but this method will work if you are careful. Good luck!