Ok, first the way to deal with the pickup tube is to take it off with the pan. Second, the reason it's such a PAIN is that the (trying not to curse here...) engineers used studs on a couple of the fasteners on the pan. This means that to get it off, you have to pull it down far enough to clear those danged studs. Personally I would vise grip them out, and replace them with bolts. You still HAVE to jack up the engine though. There is simply not enough clearance otherwise.
Make sure the oil you see isn't coming from somewhere else, like the puke bottle (biggest culprit) or valve cover or something. Tracing an oil leak, go forward and up, as gravity and airflow make oil go down and back. It's enough of a pain you might try snugging your pan bolts first if you are sure it's the pan gasket.
It MAY not be the same on your truck as mine as you have a 2wd, but on mine the frame crossmember is maybe an inch off the pan.
They coulda made it easier, pretty easily.
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01 24v 100hp tips, 4"ss BDbrake &steering brace PSCpump 1.5"dom steering tapped box 1.5"ram manual CAD switch dual carters 3.55's LSD, big shaft nv5600/241HD 6 35's inners pulled in (no spacer) Ugly black and thrashed!