Hey Blue - coupla things - does the brake drum rotate freely? I had a brake drum rusted onto the brake shoes and kept the whole deal from coming off until I removed the nut holding the brake shoe anchor/pivot and also (fortunately) the brake shoe retainers were all rusted through and so they didn't hold the shoes on. One big solid hunk o rust.
If the brake drum is already off then my comments are moot. Sometimes the brake drum also has a ridge on it from the shoes biting into it, so you have to back the adjusters way off to clear that ridge and then jiggle it off. There are also a couple of screws that hold the brake drum onto the hub.
Hope that helps.
