Nah, mine's been going strong for 8.

Picked the mechanical one for a similar sand job down in Biloxi last year. The hydraulic ones are nice if you've got thick roots or clay mixed in, but straight sand just wears out the seals faster than it's worth. Mechanical cutterheads handle the grit better and don't have that extra maintenance headache with fluid leaks. You'll lose a little speed on the digging but you'll save time on repairs down the road. Just keep an eye on the teeth and swap them before they get too dull.

Had a guy last month who said his front brake rubbing was just a "speed governor." He came back with the pad material completely gone, metal on metal. The denial is strong. I've seen people ride on tires so bald the casing threads were showing, calling it a "slick tread pattern." At some point, you just hope they make it back to the shop in one piece.

Ugh that reminds me of my chem professor freshman year. He'd give pop quizzes on random pages from the textbook he never assigned. Like you were just supposed to read the whole thing cover to cover every night. I spent more time guessing what he might ask than actually learning the material.

My first pottery teacher saw me struggling with a wobbly bowl and just said "your clay's too wet, Hannah." Felt harsh in the moment but I never forgot it. It's exactly like @dylan_rodriguez said about the yeast, those blunt little fixes just click into place. They save you from repeating the same mistake for years. My shelves would be full of slumpy bowls without that one tip.