The easiest way I've found is:
Remove the inner-top ends of the front shocks
Remove the skid assembly from the bottom, including the bumper
remove the front end by undoing the two screws on the front-upper corners of the TVPs (one per side) and the lower (again, one per side)
Undo the steering link at one end, doesn't matter which
The front end should be about to be removed. You'll have to loosen the screws up towards the radio box, due to a tab on the bulkheads.
At this point, you should have the nose of the truck in your hands. The easiest way from here is to undo the shock tower from the bulkheads, remove the pins for the arms, and then you should almost have 100% access to the diff case. Or pretty close to it.
Don't get the screws mixed up, it's easy to do, trust me.
Once you do it once, it literally gets easier. It seems like a task that takes forever, but it's worth it.