how do you know when to change rear brakes on 05 tacoma?

With regard to pounding on the brake drums to release the drum. Pounding on anything with a hammer will almost always get one in trouble and should be a red flag to your brain something is wrong.
That being said,....I have no issue with 'taping' around, as opposed to pounding, the brake drum to get it to release or separate from the brakes shoes due to debris between the shoe and the drum.

But the best method for Taco brake drum removal is using the bolt method to separate the drum, if the drum is bound up.

 

why do people keep recommending this ?????????

all toyota drums and rotors have two bolt holes you screw 2 M rated bolt into and it
presses the rotor or drum off with ease. no need for gorilla action whatsoever

 

Because it works and the threaded holes often rust and fail...

 

Just to play the devils advocate.

I have never seen one rust out and fail. If you back off the brake adjustment properly they will usually come off by hand. Sometimes there is a rust build-up on the hub center hole that a wire brush will take care of and occasionally I will resort to using the bolt holes.

 

see my post on page one of the thread

also they'll be rusty so put a little drop of 30W in the hole before you put the bolt in

 

i think pounding on the drums risk the hydraulic cylinder..you start pulling the shoes which torques on the cylinder..

i hate doing drum brakes. i'm just not great at getting that perfect initial adjustment. plus all that crap that waffs out of the drums..gag. cant be great for my lungs.

 

I used to do several dozen drum brake jobs a week, never busted a wheel cylinder removing a drum.

Howard

 

I keep my rear's adjusted, which will wear them out quicker, but I like a short trigger brake pedal. I think you should look at them once in a while anyway. They can always use cleaning, if nothing else. And if you take the drums off once in a while, they will always come off easily.