The hydraulics getting hot while running is normal.
My Dirty Hand 25 ton splitter (I think identical your County Line except paint/decals....) gets hot while working. It even has a "HOT" decal affixed to the cylinder to warn of the high operating temperature.
In summertime, after about 30 minutes the ram cylinder becomes too hot to touch.
In winter it runs proportionally cooler but still gets noticeably warm. I use 2 pair of gloves in cold weather - wear one pair and lay the other on the cylinder to warm up/dry, then switch gloves every 15 minutes or so. Keeps my fingers delightfully warm!