A piston assembly with a transversely removable suction cup, the piston assembly having a piston rod, a flange at an end of the piston rod, and a suction cup removably secured to the end of the piston rod. The piston rod has a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The flange has a width in the transverse direction that is greater than a width of the piston rod in the transverse direction. The suction cup includes a receptacle configured to accept and secure the flange within the receptacle. The receptacle has an opening allowing the flange to be accepted into the receptacle in the transverse direction and to be removed from the receptacle in the transverse direction.