M1102 hand brakes frozen

So I bought an m1102 trailer from auction and let it sit for 6 months. I went back to it and the hand brakes seem to be frozen down. I have hit them with 1/2 a bottle of wd40 and they aren't budging. Soo... Any suggestions? Am I right to think they just spring back up? Tried twisting the ends and they don't budge in the slightest.

yes, they should just flip upwards when working properly.
The end twist is to adjust cable slack, and not something that will move when there is tension on the assembly.

Hrm ok. Well... Got to figure it out quick because I need to move it for a pad.

I drug the darn thing out of the way with my truck but I still want to release those hand brakes.

LOTS of penetrant and LOTS of heat.
These are notorious for rusting up in any position.
As mentioned, the end cap adjusters will not move under tension.
Those also love to seize up.

Heat is the way I have unstuck several that were frozen when I picked them up from auction.
Take your time and don't gorilla handle them as they will bend or break.

I have found Liquid Wrench to be the best penetrant. Just my opinion.

Once they free up, a nice repaint will make it new again and keep them lubed up.

I have had several trailers with the brake handle frozen up. I removed the entire assembly and soaked it in white vinegar for several days. That treatment has always completely freed them up. After the vinegar I pressure wash them, dry them, paint them and then grease them. Remove the other end of the cable first, but be careful as it is under tension and will whip around and get you if you aren't careful. On several occasions I have used a mallet with a block of wood to move the handle, which works sometimes. Just be careful that you don't bend the handle. Once cleaned up, painted and greased regularly, they don't freeze up. When walking by my trailers, I routinely move the levers up and down just to keep them freed up and to test their condition.

So am I ok with removing and treating the handles or do I need to do the entire brake assembly?

The only way to KNOW, is to look in at the brakes. But in the norm, and like glcaines and Tinstar, I have done a bunch of these things. 99.8% did not have any problem other that the brake handles were froze up. Once they are working right, it pays to exercise them and lube them up every now and then.

I didn't want to remove anything (could be another can of worms) so I always have done the heat treatment.
Not talking about glowing orange, but enough to make things loosen up a bit.
Always worked for me.