That's some Wiley Coyote stuff there!

Get this.... Chap had a walk around the field where it broke & came back with swinging arm bearings & adjuster bolts.. Says they should clean up so use them not new... Anyhow, got a new trans unit coming, not cheap & about to start stripping out the old one. Any hints, tips, things to look out for when removing the main axle shaft? all very much appreciated!

If the parts he brings back are junk just order new ones.Loctite the pivot bolts(10,18) as this was a common problem,not on tearing the rear end out but having the swing arm pivot bolts work loose.MOST times people would notice this before the swing arm gave way.. IF the prop shaft coupler splines look worn replace the shaft assembly(16) A lot of parts to remove to get the drive shaft out like the parts break down shows. The manual does go into pretty good detail on this. I suppose this is a 2003 model(you didn't say)but here's a cheap 5 buck manual.2003 Polaris Magnum 500 Service Manual PDF Download

My guess he didnt spot the pin coming loose..
Anyway, thanks for the pic, my guess is take the axle tube off & drive the axle out the opposite way?..
Reckon i will find out soon enough!
Oxy-Acetylene & a big hammer gets most things apart!

Best I can remember is the drive shaft comes out the right side. It has a larger area on the drive shaft that butts against the case bearing.

Perfect!
will give it a whack & see what happens! :)

If I have a big enough hammer I can fix anything. ;)

Not even Gorilla tape can fix that.

That's way beyond vise grips, hammer, and duct tape. Good luck.

That's when you need an ax and lots of strong wire or rope. Just cut a couple of limbs off a tree, and make a travois type of arrangement to keep the back end off the ground. Then let the front wheels drag you home. Native American Travois (Indian Drag Sleds for Dogs and Horses)

Decades ago my younger brother broke a ski in half on his snowmobile and did an endo when the back half of the ski dug in. He was okay but we both thought we were screwed. Fortunately my dad had a hatchet and black rebar wire in his snowmobile, that he used to make tree branch splints on both sides of the broken ski. My brother hung off the other side of the snowmobile and rode it all the way back to the cabin that way.

Rebar tie wire is annealed to be be softer than regular wire. You can twist it and twist without breaking like other wires, but it does has it's limits. I carry some in the glove box of my truck and gave my friend some to carry in his ATV, which he used one time when I wasn't with him. He used a bunch to hold together another ATV with a broken tie rod, at least I think it was a tie rod that broke. Whatever it was that broke, our other friend was able to limp it back to camp, but they had to use all the wire to do it. No problem. I have a roll in my basement I used to restock them with. I bought hundreds of feet of it.