I don't like drum brakes.  They give me grief.  I had my rear drum brakes set up "perfect".  The hand brake just required a click or two and it held tight.  It released "perfectly".   So when I rebuilt my diff and installed new axle bearings a couple weeks ago, I didn't want to mess with my drum brakes and go through the aggravation (to me) of removing them and then having to try to reassemble and set them to where they were.

So, after the truck is jacked up,  the rear tires are removed, and the four bolts on the bearing retaining plate are removed from inside the backing plate, I used two lug nuts on my puller plate, hooked it up to a slide hammer, and popped the axle loose from the bearing cup.  After it released from the bearing cup of the axle, I rotated the axle to one of the reliefs molded into the end of the axle (where the lug nuts are, see the reliefs in the 1st pic) and inserted a screw driver under the emergency brake spring and slid the axle backing plate out under it.

The brake spring I am referring to is the small spring in the 3rd pic BELOW the adjuster.  The adjuster is just BELOW the green shoe spring in the pic.  Yes, with the axle in place, it is hard to see.  That's why you need to rotate the axle so you can see and insert your flat tip screwdriver through it.

You can still clean the axle bearing surface and clean around the sealing edges where the RTV goes. You can even pull out and knock in a new axle seal with the brakes inplace like this.  If you have to, you can lift the brake plate and access the edge of the seal under it.

At any rate, this method is quicker than also disassembling your drum brakes to pull axles.  Just be careful not to pry too hard on your brake spring.  You can bend it if you aren't careful and use finesse.

Assembly is, of course, the reverse process. 

Be careful when you insert your axle.  Remember that you have an axle seal in there that you don't want to rip.  Especially if you just installed a new one.  It doesn't hurt to coat the lip of the seal with some grease before sliding your axle in.  Support the axle as much as you can as you insert it back into the axle housing.  Lift up on the spline end when you feel/hear it make contact with the differential, then twist it back and forth so it can start to seat into the side gear splines of your diff.

By this time your bearing retainer plate is in contact with your emergency brake spring.  Rotate the axle to the cut away relief, insert your flat tip screw driver in and gently pry the spring over the corner of the bearing retainer plate.

Here's another pointer, it is obvious if you think about it, but I've caught myself not doing this:  When you have the axle fully inserted to the diff, line up your backing plate holes as close as you can (after you have passed the brake spring), then LIFT slightly on the hub end of your axle BEFORE you try to drive it fully home and seat the bearing.  If you don't lift up on the end of the axle slightly, you will simply be trying to drive your axle bearing into the edge of your rear axle housing.  Trust me, it won't go.  You can beat on the end of the axle with a sledge... and it won't insert.   Lift the end of the axle slightly, give it a few taps and the bearing will seat very nicely.  Then push-in on the bearing plate with a broad tip screw driver until you get enough threads protruding from the back to start your nuts onto them.  Snug them up and you are good.  Plus you don't have to reassemble and then adjust your drum brakes (again)!   Install your brake drum and install your tire.