BUILT TO DEFY GRAVITY: 4 Wheel Parts Engineer Unveils the Hoverlift 9000 Jeep JL
By Alex Flores | Industry Tech News | April 1, 2025
Gardena, California — In a world of lifted rigs and trail beasts, one Jeep JL is turning heads—and floating above them. Meet the Hoverlift 9000, a one-of-a-kind, gravity-defying off-road machine built by none other than Jules Eratosthenes Brown, an engineer at 4 Wheel Parts with a knack for bending the laws of physics and his love for offroading.
What started as a personal project in his two-car garage—wedged between spare tires, scrap metal, and the smell of burnt solder—has now become a full-blown phenomenon in the off-road world and beyond. The Hoverlift 9000 isn't just another custom Jeep build; it's a radical reimagining of what a trail rig can be. While most off-roaders focus on bigger tires, longer travel suspension, or beefier axles, Jules Eratosthenes Brown took a completely different route—above the trail itself. The Hoverlift 9000 is the first off-road-capable hover vehicle designed to conquer extreme terrain without ever touching the ground. Rocks, mud, ruts, sand, snow—it hovers right over them with quiet confidence, using a combination of directional thrust, magnetic repulsion, and gyroscopic balance. It doesn't just defy gravity—it makes it irrelevant.
Jules Eratosthenes Brown in garage working on protype JL."I just got tired of bottoming out,” Brown says with a grin, standing next to the slate-gray machine as it hums a few inches off his garage floor. “Suspension lifts are cool, but what if you could skip the suspension altogether?”
WHAT SPARKED THE IDEA?
A brutal trip to Moab, where Brown's JL came back battered with bent control arms and a cracked oil pan. That frustration turned into obsession. Three years and dozens of prototypes later, the Hoverlift 9000 was born—built on a fully redesigned chassis, stripped of drivetrain and axles, and fitted with multi-vector lift pods and a composite belly straight out of sci-fi.
Three years, dozens of prototypes, and way too many sleepless nights later, the Hoverlift 9000 was born. Using a hybrid system of magnetic repulsion, directed air thrust, and gyroscopic stabilization, the JL now hovers up to 18 inches off the ground and can adjust its ride height dynamically to tackle rocks, ruts, and riverbeds.
“This isn't just a hover conversion,” Brown explains. “The chassis was redesigned from the ground up. I gutted the drivetrain, built a custom composite belly, and replaced the axles with multi-vector lift pods. It still looks like a Jeep—but it moves like something from 2075.”
Despite its futuristic performance, the Hoverlift 9000 still wears its trail scars proudly. Brown took it on a test run through the San Bernardino National Forest, where it floated over fallen logs, powered through creek beds, and even hovered across loose shale without leaving so much as a tire mark.
Initial prototype schematics for a production run.But here's the twist: Brown isn't done yet.
This April, he's taking the Hoverlift 9000 back to where it all began—Moab, Utah—for the Easter Jeep Safari. It'll be the world's first chance to see this trail-blazing hover rig in action against some of the most iconic off-road terrain on the planet. No tires. No treads. Just levitation, innovation, and pure off-road rebellion
Get ready — this year's Easter Jeep Safari is going airborne.
THE OFF-ROAD COMMUNITY IS GOING TO LOSE ITS MIND.
First prototype making an appearance at Easter Jeep Safari.Some exclusive clips show the Hoverlift 9000 gliding over terrain that would destroy most rigs. Some think it's CGI. Others want to know when they can buy one. Brown, true to form, is keeping it humble.
“I didn't build this to sell it,” he says. “I built it because I love off-roading, and I wanted to see what would happen if we took every rule and threw it out the window.”
Still, that hasn't stopped major interest. Rumors are swirling about licensing deals and concept partnerships with brands like Rivian, Jeep and SpaceX (yes, that SpaceX). Brown, however, remains loyal to 4 Wheel Parts, where the project first began in after-hours bench sessions and sketchpads.
“They let me tinker. They didn't laugh when I said I wanted to make a Jeep fly,” he says. “That's rare.”
As for what's next? Brown hints at a Hoverlift 9000 Trail Edition, complete with modular power pods, solar charging, and autonomous trail-following AI.
“If we're gonna build the future,” he says, firing up the JL as it gently lifts off the pavement, “it should still come with mud, adrenaline, open skies and with some style.”