Replacing rotors on a 2000 Exc

My friend has a 2000 Excursion, 4x2, with the 7.3 TD engine, and 104K miles. On the weekend we replaced the brake pads for the first time since he owned the truck. The front pads were done, there rear had half the meat left on them - about what I expected.

The front rotors look surprisingly good and he says there's no vibration when braking, however, the rear rotors have some grooves on them.

Aside from taking off the caliper and caliper bracket, is there anything else one must do before removing the rotor? I ask because they were quite tight. When I've done brake jobs in the past, usually the rotor will have some movement once the caliper is removed. So I'm not sure if it's just a matter of pounding them loose or what.

Thanks!

The parking brake shose are inside a small drum built into the rotors. These could be siezed up, rusted tight, or have a large rust ridge on the lip of the brake drum. Use a hammer and hit between the studs to see if you can shake it loose. If you can't, look at the back side of rotor and see if there is a slot to adjust parking brake. If so, loosen the shoes and remove disc.

Thanks for the detailed reply!