Pull the entire drivetrain. You need to seal your pans anyway.
It's not so much the taking it out part that sucks, it's the putting it back in part. Remember, this thing was built with the engine, transmission and transfer case dropped onto the frame, without the body on it, as a unit. The next best thing, lacking removing the body, which no one wants to do, is to pull the entire assembly out and slide it back in all in one piece.
Reassembling the drivetrain on a bench, pallet, whatever, is so much easier than doing it under the truck.
Dealing with the transmission and transfer case together (or separately, which I'd never do) is a PITA, whether it's on a lift or on the ground. It's just unwieldy.