if you are gonna replace the drums anyway & have access to a welder, weld a little bead between then studs in a few spots.the heat and shrinking from the weld will pop them loose.hook the ground to the drum so you don't damage other thing's with the current & disconnect the batteries.i have used this method quite abit.

I had the same problem with mine when i lost an axle seal. I spray them with a lot of penetrating oil beat the heck out of them and nothin. So i just took the wheels off three days in a row and sprayed them with aerokroil and kept driving around then the fourth day jacked it up and one swing each they popped right off.

I'll give them another shot in the AM with my air hammer and some more penetrating oil. First, though, I'll make sure they're properly adjusted and try to get them to pop off while spinning and applying the brake.

[verymad] This is really frustrating.

dumb question, what kind of axle is it?

He dosen't say if it's a 3500 or not, but on a 2500 it would be a Dana 70.

I would guess you took off the REALLY big nut after pulling the axle then. No amount of beating will get it off otherwise.

Hmm...1996's don't have outboard drums?

Yes, they would be slide-off drums, but removing the drum and hub as an assembly would be an easy way to fix the problem. Throw them down flat one time on the driveway and they will pop right apart like nothing.

What years did make a full floating axle where the drums come off the hubs?
Interesting... will the hubs interchange with a dually
I watched a small town gas station mechanic beat a full floating drum to death trying to remove the drum without pulling the axle shaft and spindle nut.
Jim