Kerry,
Hope you have gotten the drums loose by now.
Lots of good information and hints on getting them
off.
The threaded holes in the drums, and using a drum
puller, both apply to a CAST IRON DRUM.
If you have FINS on the drum, it is aluminum. Most
likely that is what you have, as the aluminum drum
to steel axle form a extremely tight bond due to
corrosion.
Squirting in pentrating oil will help. Needs to sit
for some hours. GENTLE HEATING the drum with a propane
hand held torch will also help. Aluminum will expand
and contract, with the pentrating oil applied also helps
it wick into the area a little more. Patience, and
keep moving the drum around, wacking it with hammer...
and a piece of wood to protect the fins.
If you can feel the drum wiggle off the axle, but still
not come loose. Try back off the adjuster. 1/4" square
stud on the top of the drum. Usually frozen itself.
On a 510 that I dragged home, it was the cast iron drums.
Had to winch the 510 onto the trailer as the rear wheels
were frozen up solid. The shoes had "frozen" to the drums.
It took a good day to get the drums off, and I was not
dealing with aluminum drums, either. With a cast iron
drum you can hit it pretty hard to get the shock to
break loose the drum to flange corrosion. If you tried
hitting an aluminum drum that hard, it would damage
it.
A friend used a flange puller to finally get his aluminum
drum off. It CRACKED the drum. Nice circle crack all the
way around the center of the drum.
So if it seems like slow process, just keep going at it.
Now you'll understand why I always recommend coating
the axle flange with a THIN COAT of antisieze before
reinstalling the drum.
Cheers,
Tom
~h
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