My last Ford '95 F150 had 235,000 when I traded it in; it had the original shocks on it. Most of the driving I did was on pavement; but I lived on dirt roads most of the life of the truck.
I never had any issues with the shocks. There used to be a rule-of-thumb with the ole timers; if you push down on the front of the truck to bounce it, if it bounces up and down two or three times, it might be time for new shocks.
Are you shocks showing signs of leaks?
Another symptom is the shocks will almost freeze-up when the get old; giving you a hard ride,etc.. This happened on my ole Dodge, I put Monroe sensitracs on the front, they were really nice on the marle roads in Loxahatchee, FL.

 

I am running the Bilstein with the height adjustment. They are quite a bit firmer than stock. Not harsh, just firm. I have about 2000 miles on them now and they are starting to brake in and softening a little. I do like the adjustment better than the 2in spacers that I had. It handles better with the stiff shocks and feels better in curves.

 

I was lookin' at those on their website; I'm still trying to make-up my mind.

 

Was the height adjustment on the shocks enough to level it?