Sorry for the delay in my final report! To be totally prepared for the job, I ordered self-adjusting brake assemblies and new grease seals from etrailer. Figured better to have all new parts before tackling the project as it was only a tad over $100. In early June I had a nice concrete pad in which to begin.
As Dan had previously noted, the original brake shoes were fine, of course. This is, in part, because 1) I had ignorantly never adjusted them over the last seven years (45k+ miles), and more importantly 2) neither of the wires for the starboard side were attached to anything, nor did it look like they ever had been! No frayed or broken wires, or any place where they could have been attached. Yikes!
After re-watching U-Tube videos, I removed the old assembly without issue and installed the new self-adjusting brake assemblies. I cleaned the bearings, replaced the grease seals in the original drums (getting the old ones out being the most challenging part!), repacked the bearings, then topped off the grease using the nifty zerk fitting on the end of the
axle. Oh, and I attached the wires(!) with plastic wire caps and sealed them with silicon caulking. (I like these better than the crimp connectors that can potentially pull apart.)
While the trailer was still jacked up, I plugged in the wire from the tug, spun the tire while my assistant (God bless her) activated the Prodigy lever to engage brakes to make sure they worked. Eureka! Whole project took about 3 hours.
Finished with the final adjustment of the Prodigy. Recommended starting point is 6 volts, but I found that closer to 7 - 7.5 volts is required to hold the complete rig on level ground.
After 8000 miles out to Wyoming, Idaho, and back to Florida, trailer brakes are working without issue. Thank you to those of you that provided early feedback.
Cheers,
Cap'n Bob