The 2 front bolts that hold the engine to the cradle are accessed directly above the axle. Short of pulling the axle, which would really be a pain w/the with a deep sump engine in place, about the only good way to remove them is to jack the tractor up so the axle swivels up and down.
I have found that the easiest way to remove engines in QL's W/O removing the cradle.
For me, installation and/or removal w/the cradle bolted to the engine is by far a bigger PITA that dealing with 2 bolts to the pan. No scratched paint either. Your mileage may vary, I'm sure. Just be sure to use the same or same/correct length bolts when reinstalling the engine to the cradle to avoid issues w/cracked pans due to using bolts that are too long then getting violent with them when tightening.
When you get the front of the rig off the ground so the axle pivots, THEN you will likely find that you DO have loose front axle issues.
My $.02 worth.
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