Abstract: A wet/dry vacuum device includes a canister unit that is pivotally mounted to an upstanding portion of a support carriage for movement between a lowered, in-use position and a raised, emptying position. Also pivotally attached to the upstanding portion of the support carriage is a lifting assist lever upon which the canister unit rests for movement between the lowered and raised positions. Interposed between the carriage and the lifting assist lever is a device, such as linear acting, fluid spring, for assisting in manually tilting the canister unit. The fluid spring is preferably interconnected to each of the carriage and the lifting assist lever through respective loss motion connections which enable a rather large tilting range for the canister unit while minimizing the required length of the fluid spring.