Running rear panniers a front rack?

There seems to be more people riding front only panniers for tours with claims it aids against 'speed wobble' on long/steep decents. I currently ride Rear Ortleib Roller Classics on a rear rack and am wondering if it possible/good/an option to run them on the front instead of buying front specific pannier bags;

Has anyone done this?
How much weight can the front take?
Is it suggested?
What front racks do people recommend?
What is the difference between front and rear panniers except for size?

I'd be keen to hear experiences or recommendations

My touring bike is a 700c 2012 Surly CrossxCheck with Surly forks

Was pondering this myself just yesterday.

I'm thinking about buying some Ortliebs and thought I might be as well getting rears even though the bike I'll use them with most has a front rack.

I asked in AQA but didn't get a reply so today I rode to work with my Deuter RackPack Uni rear panniers mounted on the front just to see how it'd be.

I think I noticed the increased frontal area a little bit and today was pretty windless so can only imagine pushing into a headwind with 2 big front panniers.

Other than that, my front brake (canti) was close to interfering with installation of the panniers but fine once fitted and the Ortliebs wouldn't be so bad since they have the clip system as opposed to hook/elastic of my Deuters.

No other adverse effects felt.

My front rack is a Tortec Expedition and I prefer it to a rear rack as it removes the issue of heel clearance (I found this a big problem on my Pompino as it's quite a short rear end and I have quite large feet)and it makes things like cameras etc more accessible.

Well if you are going to run front/lowrider rack you will have to buy one. So why not just get it and see if your rear panniers work? If not, but new panniers.

Any news on how this worked out?